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Bob, a Mounted Scout with the Wagon Train 






































T& 

■Kansas 



Copyright 1938 by 
Harlow Publishing Corporation 


SEP 30 !9?Q 

C'ClA 132452 

10 


FOREWORD 


The adventurous, the strong, and 
,ie courageous often become pioneers. 
The timid and the weak usually remain 
in sheltered abodes where dangers may 
not come; where leisure is found, and 
where arduous tasks are not continuous. 
The people who went into the primeval 
forests of America and carved out homes 
thus opening the way for millions to fol¬ 
low in safety and with comfort were 
courageous, industrious and strong. 

The pioneer found little time or de¬ 
sire for frivolities, fine clothes or fash¬ 
ions. Necessity set the style in his life, 
testing his endurance and setting limits 
to his activities. Events over which he 
had no control often put his courage to 
the most severe tests. To obtain food, 


v 





VI 


Foreword 


shelter and clothing required the maxi¬ 
mum of exertion, usually in solid labor, 
even during childhood and youth. In all 
situations the pioneer acted upon his own 
initiative and thus he became thorough¬ 
ly established in courage and industry; 
strong in body, and reliable in character. 

S. M. Barrett 


CONTENTS 


Foreword.v 

Chapter I—Bobbie and the Bear . . 1 

Chapter II—Bobbie and the Turkey’s 

Nest.9 

Chapter III—Bobbie’s Work ... 16 

Chapter IY—Bobbie’s Recreation . 24 

Chapter V—Bobbie’s Journey across 
the Mountains to Grandfather 

Brown’s Home.33 

Chapter VI—Bobbie’s Long Journey 
through the Mountain Country 
and Far West.48 

Chapter VII—Bobbie’s Long Jour¬ 
ney—Meeting Difficult Duties . 61 

Chapter VIII—Bobbie’s Long Jour¬ 
ney—New Experiences ... 69 

Chapter IX—Bobbie’s Long Journey 

—Along the Open Road ... 81 

Chapter X—Bobbie’s Long Journey 

—In Missouri.91 

Chapter XI—Bobbie’s School Days . 99 

Chapter XII—The Year of the Big 

Snow.115 

vii 








Contents 


viii 

Chapter XIII—Changes as the Years 

Went By.126 

Chapter XIV—On the Santa Fe 

Trail.123 

Chapter XV—Indians.141 

Chapter XVI—Cimarron Crossing . 157 

Chapter XVII—Bob’s Last Trip 

across the Plains.174 




ILLUSTRATIONS 


Bob, a Mounted Scout with the 
Wagon Train . . Frontispiece 

The Hounds Had Trailed a Bear . 4 

The Hounds Find a Panther . . 12 

On Came the Buck—Bobbie Dodged 

from Tree to Tree .... 20 

Elk, Caught by the Storm, Were 

Living Off the Hay . . . .116 

The Buffalo Stampede .... 132 
The Attack Came Swiftly . . . 148 
Jim Bridges Leads the Parley . .164 


ix 





Bob, i'he Pioneer 













CHAPTER I 
Bobbie and the Bear 

Far up in the mountainous regions 
of eastern Tennessee, more than a cen¬ 
tury ago, was a log cabin home. In this 
lonely place lived Bob, or Bobbie as he 
was called when a tiny boy. 

His was truly a pioneer abode, re- 
mote from other homes. It was in mid¬ 
afternoon when Bobbie wearing new 
trousers with pockets in them—his first 
clothes just like his father’s—decided to 
go hunting. Not only had his mother 
made the trousers, but she had carded 
the wool and woven the jeans of 
which she made them. In order to look 
more like Daddy, Bobbie had on his 
father’s hat. Bobbie told his mother he 
was going to take the dogs and go hunt- 
1 


Bob, the Pioneer 

ing, and out he went. Closing the door 
he called as lustily as he could, “Here, 
Drum! Here, Lead! Here, Blue!” In 
obedience to his call, the three great old 
hounds, leaders of his father’s pack of 
hunting dogs, arose, stretched lazily in 
the warm sunshine and slowly came to 
their little master, their little man-god. 
These hounds were Bobbie’s only com¬ 
panions and playfellows for there were 
no other children near this place, except 
baby sister, Grace, and she was too little 
to play out-of-doors. 

The leaders of the pack, Drum, 
Lead, and Blue, were fond of Bobbie but 
they were too lazy to play with him very 
much. However, they came sometimes 
when he called, and they went with him 
occasionally when he roamed about 
among the trees of the dense forest that 
stood near his home. The hounds were 
Bobbie’s only pals. The field on one side 


2 


Bobbie And The Bear 

of the cabin and the forest on the other 
side were his playgrounds. 

Since Bobbie’s father and his friends 
often went hunting, Bobbie frequently 
played “going hunting.” Now he was go¬ 
ing hunting by himself way out past the 
barn lot and beyond the brook. After 
crossing the brook Bobbie turned back 
toward the cabin, for he was not allowed 
; to go alone far into the great forest. At 
last he got old Drum to romp and play 
with him but when the hound ran 
through the brook and leaped playfully 
against the boy toppling him over and 
soiling the new trousers with wet, mud¬ 
dy feet, play ceased. Old Drum fled for 
safety as Bobbie scolded and tried to pelt 
the dog with stones. When the boy chased 
the dog past the cabin, the door opened 
and Bobbie’s mother called him inside 
where he stood by the open fireplace to 
dry his clothes. 


3 




Bob, the Pioneer 

Sometimes neighbors came to hunt 
with Bobbie’s father and the boy always 
wanted to go with them. Not until Bob¬ 
bie was six years old did his father ever 
agree to take him. The mother thought 
it very unwise for Bobbie’s father to 
permit the boy to go with the hunting 
party but on a certain beautiful moon¬ 
light night when the hunters did not in¬ 
tend to stay out very late or to go very 
far, and since Bobbie’s grandfather was 
going with the hunters and asked that 
the boy might accompany them Bobbie 
was permitted to go. 

Occasionally, Bobbie was hoisted up 
on the shoulders of his father or some 
one of the other mountaineers, where he 
rode gleefully; at other times he trotted 
along as fast as he could to keep up with 
the hunters. 

The hunting dogs ran out into the 
woods and it was not long until the 


4 





The Hounds Had Trailed a Bear 
























































































































' 

















































. 







Bobbie and the Bear 

hounds struck a trail. By the manner of 
their baying, the hunters knew that they 
were on the trail of big game. After 
awhile the pack was in full cry going 
northward, but soon it was noted that 
they were coming back toward the hunt¬ 
ers. 

Believing that the hounds were 
chasing a deer, and feeling certain that 
it would follow the deer trail and cross 
the deer run up on top of the ridge, Bob¬ 
bie’s father placed the child in a rock- 
walled corner of the cliff, telling him to 
stay there until he and the other men 
came back. Then the hunters rushed up 
the mountain side to intercept the quarry 
as it crossed the well-known run or deer 
trail. Just as they reached the summit, 
the dogs suddenly changed their tone 
and turned aside. In a few minutes a 
loud baying and frequent howling punc¬ 
tuated now and then by Bobbie’s shrill, 


5 





Bob, the Pioneer 

“Sick ’em, Drum! Sick ’em, Lead! Sick 
’em, Blue!” brought great fear to the 
hearts of hunters for then they realized 
that the pack had left off chasing the 
deer for bigger game, and it was a bear 
that the hounds were now chasing; also, 
that he had turned to fight the dogs near 
where Bobbie was. On rushing down they 
found Bobbie in the midst of the pack, 
which was led by his three pals. Fran¬ 
tically, Bobbie was urging the dogs on 
in a fight with the bear. Bobbie’s father, 
being the first upon the scene, immedi¬ 
ately shot the bear. The grandfather 
rescued Bobbie as the hounds rushed 
over him to get at the erstwhile danger¬ 
ous but now fallen enemy. 

As the tumult subsided, Bobbie, cud¬ 
dled up in his grandfather’s strong arms, 
said in a quavering voice, “Granddad, 
I’m scared.” 

“Oh, no!” said the old man, “You 


6 



Bobbie and the Bear 

are a big man now, Bobbie. You and 
Drum, Lead and Blue fought a big bear 
all by yourselves.” 

“But I’m scared,” persisted Bobbie. 

Next, the whining of faithful old 
Drum attracted the attention of the 
hunters and when Bobbie saw how 
bloody and torn his old pal was he added 
his childish crying to Drum’s labored 
whining. Old Drum’s wounds were 
treated first and then the bear was 
skinned by the expert mountaineers, cut 
into four parts, and to each of the four 
families represented in the hunting par¬ 
ty was allotted one quarter of the bear 
meat. What about the hide? All agreed 
it should be Bobbie’s. 

Laden with plenty of meat and Bob¬ 
bie’s trophy, the bear hide, the hunters 
returned to the cabin. Grandfather car¬ 
ried Drum for the old dog’s leg was 


7 


Bob, the Pioneer 

broken. Bobbie was so shaken and dis¬ 
tressed that the men carried him also. 

Bobbie was first to enter their cabin 
and it was he who told mother and little 
sister, Grace, how he and the hound dogs 
had fought a great bear. Then with 
trembling lips while he used all of his 
will power to keep back the tears, he 
said, “But Drum is hurt.” 

For days old Drum lay in a tem¬ 
porary shelter built for him, and Bobbie 
and little sister were his attendants. It 
was a long time before Drum was in con¬ 
dition to lead the pack in another bear 
hunt and a long, long time before Bobbie 
forgot that night’s experience. Perhaps 
he never forgot. Who knows? 


8 


CHAPTER II 

Bobbie and the Turkey’s Nest 

It was early autumn when Bobbie 
had his first real bear hunt. It was mid¬ 
winter before Drum was able to go about 
with the other hounds, and then the 
bears were all asleep for the winter. But, 
at any rate, Bobbie’s mother would not 
have consented for her little man to go 
on a bear hunt again. 

In due time winter passed, the sun 
became warmer and warmer, the snows 
melted from the mountain side and 
spring time came once more. Then every 
day Bobbie’s father went to work in his 
field down in the valley nearly a mile 
distant. Here he worked all day plowing 
and planting. Bobbie was left to do cer¬ 
tain tasks and to play with little sister 

9 


Bob, the Pioneer 

or amuse himself with the hounds as best 
as he could. 

One morning Bobbie’s mother told 
him to watch the turkey hen. “She has 
a nest somewhere, but like all other tur¬ 
key hens, she wants to keep the place a 
secret,” said the mother. Bobbie was to 
keep the turkey hen in sight, but he was 
told that he must not let her know that 
he was watching. This proved to be a 
difficult task. As the turkey hen wan¬ 
dered away from the cabin, Bobbie with 
his old pal, Drum, followed seemingly 
paying no attention to her. But turkeys 
are wise in their ways, and for more 
than two hours this one went here and 
there and everywhere. Always, however, 
Bobbie was somewhere near and old 
Drum was with him. 

At last they were a long way from 
the cabin and Drum was about to refuse 
to go any farther, for he seemed ex- 


10 


Bobbie and the Turkey’s Nest 

hausted and indolent. Then as a gust of 
wind from the south rustled the leaves, 
Drum’s bristles stood up; his frame 
seemed electrified, and going straight 
forward, nose in air, and muscles taut, 
he came near a large tree; then like an 
explosion rang out his deep, resonant 
voice, baying. From the cabin and from 
shady nooks about the cabin the other 
hounds answered. From the violent bay¬ 
ing, even from the very tones of the 
hounds’ voices, Bobbie knew what this 
meant. No such commotion would be 
caused unless the scent of big game had 
come to Drum. Since the only big game 
that would not run from the hounds 
would be a bear or a panther, and be¬ 
cause bears were not found in trees, Bob¬ 
bie knew that this must be a panther in 
the tree. Although he did not see the 
panther and did not choose to go very 


11 


Bob, the Pioneer 

near, he urged Drum and the other dogs 
on toward the tree. 

It was not more than a minute until 
sounds indicated bedlam had broken 
loose in the forest. No doubt about it, it 
must be a panther. Then faint and far 
away Bobbie heard his father’s horn. 
Next he heard his mother’s voice calling 
him away from the danger. Reluctantly, 
he went to meet his mother who ran 
toward him and seizing him by the hand 
started toward the house. Before they 
got back to the cabin, Bobbie’s father, 
riding a horse which he had unhitched 
from the plow, dashed up rifle in hand. 
Taking Bobbie with him he went toward 
the hounds while the mother stood and 
watched them. He left Bobbie to hold the 
horse quite a distance from the pack 
while he approached carefully. Search¬ 
ing for a sight of the panther, he crept 
cautiously forward and when he dis- 


12 



The Hounds Find a Panther 












































. 

■ ■' 


































s • • : 































Bobbie and the Turkey’s Nest 

covered it, he knelt down behind a tree, 
took deliberate aim, and fired. Down 
from the tree and into the pack came the 
wounded, angry panther. There was no 
more chance to shoot for the battle was 
on. Dogs rushed in and were bowled 
over or were slashed until they streamed 
with blood and howled with pain..How¬ 
ever, in the end the panther was slain. 
Then Bobbie’s father called him to see 
the trophy, and because Bobbie had 
found the panther, his father said the 
hide should be his. 

Next morning, Bobbie was told to 
hunt the turkey’s nest again but to be 
careful as, no doubt, the panther’s mate 
might be prowling around the place and 
might be hungry. Bobbie wanted his sis¬ 
ter to go with him but she said, “No, I 
have to help Mamma. Baby Brother is 
so much trouble now and I have to take 
care of him while Mamma churns and 

13 


Bob, the Pioneer 

does lots and lots of other things. I’m a 
big girl now; Mamma said so, and I have 
to work. You can take the dogs; they 
don’t do anything. Make them go with 
you.” 

Therefore, on that morning Bobbie 
was not accompanied by Drum, but Lead 
and Blue were induced or rather com¬ 
pelled to go along. So difficult was it to 
keep the old hound dogs from stealing 
away and going back to the cabin that 
Bobbie was kept busy, so busy that the 
turkey easily stole away to her nest. Bob¬ 
bie was compelled to return and report 
that he had lost sight of her. 

The next day and the next were 
repetitions of the same thing. The tur¬ 
key hen got away and Bobbie more and 
more chagrined, had to report no luck. 

One morning Bobbie’s father said, 
“Bobbie, are you going to let that old 
turkey hen out-smart you? Aren’t you a 


14 


Bobbie and the Turkey’s Nest 

hunter? Watch her carefully today, and 
don’t worry about panthers. I don’t think 
they will bother you. Keep your eye on 
the turkey.” 

That day Bobbie made up his mind 
that the turkey hen could not fool him 
again even if a panther did chase him. 
And so on that day he rushed back to the 
cabin in midmorning to tell his mother 
that the turkey’s nest was only a little 
distance from the cabin and almost in 
plain sight of the cabin door. His mother 
went with him and sure enough under a 
small clump of brush was the nest in 
which were twelve big speckled turkey 
eggs. 


15 


CHAPTER III 
Bobbie’s Work 

For many days Bobbie worked near 
the cabin. His duties were to see that 
nothing disturbed the turkey’s nest and 
also to cut weeds and to hoe in the gar¬ 
den. 

One day the turkey hen came to the 
cabin bringing a brood of eleven little 
turkeys. Mamma taught Grace how to 
mix corn meal with water so that the 
finer particles would not blow away and 
with this dough to feed the little turkeys. 
Bobbie showed his sister how to keep the 
chickens and other domesticated fowls 
from eating the food intended for the 
turkeys. Then the care of the turkeys 
was turned over to Grace. As the garden 
work was all finished, it was decided that 
16 


Bobbie’s Work 


Bobbie should go with his father to work 
in the cornfield. 

The next morning he was very 
happy as he watched his mother put up 
the lunch and add something extra for 
him. At sun-up he and his father rode 
down the mountain side to the field. Bob¬ 
bie’s father began to plow the corn ana 
Bobbie took the hoe to follow and cut the 
weeds that had not been uprooted or had 
not been covered by the plow. That day 
the sun grew hotter and Bobbie’s en¬ 
thusiasm grew cooler. Blisters came on 
his hands and his back ached terribly but 
the corn must be hoed, so he carried on. 
Bobbie did not know the story of Joshua 
but he did think that somebody or some¬ 
thing was making the sun stand still. He 
was very glad when his father called 
him to come and get a cool drink from 
the spring which bubbled up near one 
end of the field. For a little while they 


17 


Bob, the Pioneer 

rested in the shade. When the father 
started back to work he said, “Bobbie, 
you may rest longer in the shade.” But 
Bobbie almost openly resented the 
thought that he could not endure the 
work, for he was a big boy now and 
bravely went back to the hoe. He surely 
did not wish to appear lazy. 

That night, however, as Bobbie lay 
in his trundle-bed, earlier than usual be¬ 
cause he was so weary, he was rewarded 
for all the hardships of the day by hear¬ 
ing the following conversation: Mother 
said, “Jack, Bobbie is too little to work 
so hard; don’t you think so?” 

“Well now, Priscilla,” said Father, 
“I worked at that age and it never hurt 
me. Bobbie hasn’t complained. Of course, 
he has a few blisters on his hands. There 
isn’t a lazy bone in his body, but he isn’t 
going to hurt himself.” 

Bobbie’s heartache was eased for 


18 


Bobbie’s Work 


now he knew that really he had made 
good the very first day. Then the conver¬ 
sation turned to some other topic and the 
voices of his parents died in Bobbie’s 
consciousness to a mere echo as he grad¬ 
ually slipped into slumberland. 

Next morning Bobbie’s work was 
not discussed. It was the regular order 
that Bobbie should work in the cornfield 
with his father day by day. Repeated 
discussions are not frequent among pio¬ 
neers for once a matter is settled the sub¬ 
ject is seldom brought up again. 

One evening when Bobbie and his 
father returned from working in the 
field they found that the milk cows had 
not come home. As one of the cows wore 
a bell and as the bell could be heard in 
the woods near by, Bobbie was told to 
drive the cows into the barn lot while 
his father cared for the horse and mules. 

Since Bobbie had begun working in 


19 


Bob, the Pioneer 

the field he had lost the constant com¬ 
panionship of Drum, for Grace required 
Drum to go with her when she went to 
care for the poultry and do errands 
about the place. When Bobbie went after 
the cows, therefore, Drum, the old hound, 
was not with him. The sun was setting 
and Bobbie felt that he must hurry. 
Presently he saw the cows, and grazing 
near by in a little grassy glade, a herd 
of deer. There were several pretty little 
spotted fawns with the does and Bobbie 
approached cautiously in order to get a 
good view of them. 

He knew the deer were not afraid 
of the cows and he felt sure they had 
not seen him yet. For perhaps a minute 
he watched them, and then a breeze must 
have borne the scent of danger to the 
deer for all at once the whole herd ex¬ 
cept an antlered buck dashed into the 
forest. Only for an instant did the old 


20 



On Came the Buck—Bobbie Dodged from Tree to Tree 






































































• m 






> 



















Bobbie’s Work 


buck hesitate. Then turning toward Bob¬ 
bie he stamped his feet and sounded his 
challenge—a shrill, trumpeting, whis¬ 
tling sound as he advanced toward the 
boy. Bobbie knew that the buck was in a 
dangerous mood. He also knew that he 
dare not run for that would be useless. 
He dare not climb a tree for if he did 
the angry buck would wait for hours 
ready to rush at him whenever he came 
down to the ground again. So Bobbie be¬ 
gan to throw stones at the deer. But on 
came the buck seemingly feeling that he 
must defend his family against this 
enemy. Really, an antlered, angry buck 
is a dangerous foe even for a seasoned 
hunter. Bobbie knew this, and began to 
dodge quickly from tree to tree and con¬ 
tinued to throw stones at the buck as he 
retreated to a more dense part of the 
forest. Again and again, the buck 
sounded his challenge and advanced. 


21 


Bob, the Pioneer 

Finally, Bobbie at a close range threw 
stones with all his might. Usually he 
could throw well. At last he made a for¬ 
tunate throw. Squarely on the buck’s 
nose the stone landed and into the forest 
dashed the buck. The fight was over now, 
but fearing that the buck might recon¬ 
sider and return to renew’the fight, Bob¬ 
bie pelted the lazy cows with sticks and 
stones, compelling them to hurry home. 

Bobbie met his father coming from 
the barn and told him of the attack. 
“Don’t take chances with an angry buck, 
especially at this time of year. Don’t for¬ 
get that a deer can ruin a man quickly 
if he does fight and gets a chance to use 
his antlers,” said the father. 

“I didn’t take much chance,” said 
Bobbie. “I kept where the trees were so 
close together that the buck couldn’t rush 
me on account of catching his antlers in 


22 


Bobbie’s Work 

the bushes and trees. I never got out in 
the open so he could charge me.” 

“Supper’s ready,” called the mother 
and Bobbie was very hungry. 

Just at that time Grace came in to 
say that the turkey hen and her brood 
could not be found. “I bet a wolf got 
them,” she said. 

Finally her father said, “No, a wolf 
didn’t get them. If a wolf caught the hen 
the little turkeys would get away and 
come home. They have followed a flock 
of wild turkeys. Maybe they’ll come back 
and maybe they won’t. Bobbie and I’ll 
keep a look out.” 

At last came the day when the corn 
was “laid by”—not to be cultivated any 
more. Now that the rush of work was 
over and a time for relaxation and rec¬ 
reation was at hand Bobbie was glad for 
that first season of cultivating crops had 
been strenuous indeed. 


23 


CHAPTER IV 
Bobbie’s Recreation 

It was the aroma of coffee and fried 
ham, the voices of his parents chatting 
over the breakfast table, the cooing of 
little brother in his crib, and the singing 
of birds in the trees that awakened Bob¬ 
bie. He yawned luxuriously, arose from 
his trundle-bed and slipped into his 
trousers. It seemed so good to sleep until 
sun-up after having been accustomed to 
arising before daylight. Next, he went to 
the basin just outside the kitchen door, 
bathed his hands and face in cold water, 
hastily applied towel and comb and then 
seated himself on his stool at the table 
where ham and eggs, hot biscuits with 
butter and honey, and milk in abundance 
were before him. 


24 


Bobbie’s Recreation 

His parents had finished their 
breakfast so that the boy was left to eat 
alone. His mother went to care for the 
baby and his father took down the rifle 
from its place above the door and pro¬ 
ceeded to oil and clean it. Bobbie knew 
what that meant—still hunting for squir¬ 
rels—and he also knew that he could go, 
for the hoeing of the corn was finished. 

Grace, last of all, came to breakfast 
smiling and happy as usual but when she 
learned that Bobbie was going hunting 
she was not pleased for she said, “All 
right for you, Bobbie, but you’ll have to 
help me get the peas and beans ready 
for Mamma to cook.” 

But Mamma said, “No, Grace, he 
has been working in the field and work¬ 
ing hard. The corn is laid by and he has 
a right to take it easy. It is your work 
to help about the house.” 

Bobbie’s broad smile at this so an- 


25 


Bob, the Pioneer 

noyed Grace that she said, “Yes, he is 
getting to be just like the other men 
folks; too important to help the women 
folks.” 

Soon Bobbie’s father said, “Put on 
your boots, Bob, because it will be pretty 
rough on bare feet where we are going.” 
Bobbie was glad his father had called 
him Bob. It sounded to him more grown 
up. It seemed that the boots had grown 
smaller and the feet had grown larger, 
and besides a sore toe here and a stone 
bruise there added to the difficulties so 
much that the boots could not be worn. 
But booted or barefooted, snakes, briars, 
stones, or what-not, Bobbie intended to 
go hunting, and he went. 

Out into the forest they walked 
silently. After a long time they sat down 
on a log to wait for the squirrels to come 
out of their hiding places to play. By and 
by two half-grown squirrels began play- 


26 


Bobbie’s Recreation 


ing in the tree-tops, chasing each other. 
Finally, one of them stayed still for a 
moment and up came the rifle. Bobbie 
thought his father would never shoot but 
at last the gun spoke, the squirrel fell 
from the tree and Bobbie had it in his 
hands almost at once. Examining it care¬ 
fully he said, “Barked, all right.” (To 
“bark” a squirrel means to shoot into 
the bark of the tree under the squirrel 
so that the concussion would kill the 
squirrel but the squirrel’s body would 
not be torn by the bullet.) 

“Uh-huh,” said the father, “but 
we’ll have to move our stand for the 
squirrels can smell burnt powder a long 
distance.” 

After going farther down toward 
the creek they stopped and were seated 
side by side on a ledge of stone. All was 
quiet now save the drumming of a wood¬ 
pecker on a dead tree down by the creek 


27 


Bob, the Pioneer 

and the half sleepy songs of birds here 
and there. All at once, “Thief! Thief! 
Thief!” cried the jaybirds as they darted 
excitedly in and out among the boughs 
of a giant oak tree. Bobbie finally dis¬ 
covered the cause of the commotion—a 
great horned owl. He had settled here 
for his daytime sleep but now that he 
had been discovered and such a “hulla¬ 
baloo” had been raised because he was 
seated in front of his own door, the wise 
old owl quietly withdrew into the depths 
of a great hole in a dead branch nearly 
at the top of the giant old tree. The 
noisy jaybirds at last became silent. 

By midmorning Bobbie was carry¬ 
ing four young squirrels. As he and his 
father moved toward a new location he 
said, “Let me shoot the next one.” With¬ 
out a word the rifle was placed in his 
hands. His father took the squirrels to 
carry them and motioned for Bobbie to 


28 


Bobbie’s Recreation 

go ahead. So Bobbie led the way quietly 
through the forest. He scanned the trees 
carefully for squirrel’s nests and when 
he thought a suitable place was found 
the two hunters were again seated. They 
did not have a long wait here either. 
Soon Bobbie had the gun sights trained 
on a young squirrel, squeezed the trig¬ 
ger and the squirrel fell. Picking it up 
his father said, “Barked! Well we’d bet¬ 
ter go home. This will make a good mess 
of squirrels like your mamma wants. 
Next week we are going to visit at your 
Grandfather Brown’s.” 

When they returned to the cabin 
Bobbie hurried into the garden to tell 
Grace that they were going to grand¬ 
father’s the next week but she said, “I 
know it. Mamma told me. Here, you carry 
the peas and I’ll carry the beans. I have 
already picked them.” The remainder of 


29 


Bob, the Pioneer 

that day was spent in preparation for a 
visit to Grandfather Brown’s house. 

Thus, Bobbie’s playtime came as 
mere rest between hard tasks. During 
the late summer there were many days 
when they did not work all day, but few 
days when they did not work at least 
part of the time. Aside from going hunt¬ 
ing or fishing with his father or going 
to visit their relatives with the family, 
Bobbie had little time for play. Yet he 
was satisfied with his lot. 

So the daily course of Bobbie’s life 
moved along. In autumn there were 
night hunts for big game and Bobbie al¬ 
ways went. Sometimes when there was 
not a great rush of work, the rifle was 
taken down and Bobbie and his father 
went to a place where salt was deposited 
so that the deer would find it and get 
accustomed to coming to the spot fre¬ 
quently to lick the salt. Such a place was 

30 


Bobbie’s Recreation 

called a deer lick. The hunters would hide 
near this lick and wait for the deer to 
come. Here the hunters went to get veni¬ 
son. At other times they concealed them¬ 
selves in the woods and with a bone tur¬ 
key call they called up the wild turkeys 
and shot them also for food. 

Whenever these two hunters brought 
home wild turkeys Grace examined the 
game to see if by chance any of them 
were of the brood that had run away 
from her. Once she was almost sure that 
one of the dead turkeys was of that lost 
flock and calling Bobbie she said, “This 
is one of my turkeys. You have killed 
my turkey. Why did you kill the poor 
thing? Perhaps it was coming back home. 
You said you killed one turkey. Of course 
you could kill a tame turkey.” 

But Bobbie said, “That is not the 
one I killed. Dad killed that one and it 
was as wild as any of the others. Besides, 


31 


Bob, the Pioneer 

if you wanted so much to keep your tur¬ 
keys why did you let them get away from 
you?” 

“Now, children,” said the mother, 
“don’t quarrel about it. If this was our 
turkey when it was little we are fortu¬ 
nate to get it now for I’ve never known 
turkeys to come back home after they 
grew up with the wild ones.” 


32 


CHAPTER V 


Bobbie’s Journey across the Moun¬ 
tains to Grandfather 
Brown’s Home 

One morning Bobbie and his family 
arose very early for the journey to 
grandfather’s was to be made that day. 
By the time the sun had peeped over the 
eastern mountain tops every member of 
the family was ready to start. Bobbie 
put the big bearskin robe and the pan¬ 
ther skin robe into the wagon to show to 
his grandparents. When the several mem¬ 
bers of the family were all seated in the 
wagon, the master blew his horn and all 
the hounds assembled and followed the 
wagon as it wound slowly up the moun¬ 
tain road. 

It was a gladsome morning. Every¬ 
one was happy. Grace sang softly to her- 

33 


Bob, the Pioneer 

self as they rode along and Bobbie oc¬ 
casionally whistled his favorite tune or 
called to some of the hounds as they 
scampered along the road. At such times, 
Grace chided Bobbie for interfering with 
her song but the children did not really 
quarrel. 

Hours and hours went by as the 
sturdy team pulled the wagon on and on 
up the winding mountain road. When the 
last climb was made the family stopped 
to eat lunch and to allow the mules to 
eat and to rest. Bobbie and Grace were 
thrilled with the beauty of the far away 
valleys and the tumbling mountain range 
that was visible in the distance. 

About mid-afternoon Bobbie’s par¬ 
ents pointed out to the children a wind¬ 
ing road that could be seen for some dis¬ 
tance along the river valley but became 
lost to view as it led up another smaller 
valley. That was the road to the home 


34 


Bobbie’s Journey 

of their grandparents where the family 
hoped to arrive by night fall. 

Then down and around and down 
again went the wagon to the river brink. 
Grace was really afraid and said so to 
Bobbie as they drove into the river. How¬ 
ever, with perhaps more expressed con¬ 
fidence than he felt, Bobbie assured his 
sister that there was not the least bit of 
danger. This, it seemed, proved to be true 
for the wagon and team passed safely 
through the water and then waited on 
the opposite bank for the hounds to swim 
across the river. Some of the dogs drifted 
far down stream before they could land 
but finally they were all safely over. 

Then steadily, as the shadows 
lengthened, the mules drew the wagon 
up a beautiful, rugged valley and finally 
crossed over a high ridge of land from 
where the family looked down into a 
green valley filled with the last golden 


35 


Bob, the Pioneer 

rays of the setting sun. There was 
Grandfather Brown’s home the great 
barns, the slaves’ quarters, the old man¬ 
sion—a typical southern plantation. At 
twilight the journey ended at the door 
of the old home. In the living room the 
grandmother sat in her great arm chair. 
Her needlework was laid away and with 
smiles and laughter she greeted the 
whole family. To a slave boy she said, 
“Go tell old Joe to blow his master’s 
call.” 

The sound of a familiar horn 
awakened echoes along the whole valley 
and very soon thereafter the slave boy 
called, “Yonder comes Massa on Prince.” 
And sure enough, mounted on his favor¬ 
ite saddle horse, grandfather came rapid¬ 
ly up the lane from the lower part of the 
plantation. 

When he entered the living room 
Grace and baby brother were lifted up in 


36 




Bobbie’s Journey 

his arms and Bobbie was drawn to his 
side. Thus, in the living room, the family- 
circle was complete. The children were 
happy but very tired and soon after the 
evening meal they were tucked away in 
bed. 

The next morning after breakfast 
the children went out on the lawn to play 
but there were so many things to see and 
so many places to go that not much time 
could be found for play. Down through 
the orchard went the children and soon 
Grace called, “Oh! Bobbie, see the little 
playhouse where the brook starts!” 

“That’s the spring house,” said Bob¬ 
bie, “come and see how the milk and 
butter are kept cool and fresh.” 

“Why don’t we have a spring house, 
Bobbie?” said Grace. 

“I don’t know,” said Bobbie, “but I 
think I’ll build one when we get back 
home.” As soon as Grace had counted all 


37 


Bob, the Pioneer 

the crocks and pans Bobbie carefully 
closed the door. 

Again they started to play but a 
commotion in the barn lot drew the chil¬ 
dren there quickly. There they saw a 
Negro man marking pigs by cutting 
their ears. He said, “Yes, little master, 
we have to mark ’em before we turn 
them out in the woods. If we didn’t mark 
’em the little rascals grow so fast that 
next fall when we bring ’em in we 
couldn’t tell whose hogs they were. They 
grow up out in the woods. Pigs from 
other men’s plantations grow up out 
there too and if each family did not mark 
the pigs, nobody could know his own 
hogs.” 

But Grace said it was cruel and 
mean and Bobbie could not get her to 
understand it as he did. “Why,” said he, 
“Daddy marks our pigs that way and 
ladies punch holes in their ears just to 


38 


Bobbie’s Journey 

wear earbobs.” But still Grace said that 
it hurt the pigs, it made their ears bleed, 
and was not right. 

In returning to their play the chil¬ 
dren met their mother and grandmother 
and with them went to where a Negro 
woman was carding wool while in an¬ 
other place a spinning wheel hummed 
busily. In still another place an aged 
Negress sat at a loom skillfully thrust¬ 
ing the shuttle back and forth and 
pounding the threads into cloth with 
steady strokes. 

Their grandfather had told the chil¬ 
dren that he had a surprise for them but 
he and their father had gone away from 
the house before the children arose that 
day. All morning, as they played, Bobbie 
and Grace wondered where the two men 
were and what their grandfather had for 
them. In their playing they ran here, 
there, and everywhere, and after a few 


39 


Bob, the Pioneer 

hours they were really very tired. At 
last they sat down in the shade of a great 
oak to rest. Almost as soon as they were 
seated they saw their father and grand¬ 
father riding toward the house and lead¬ 
ing, a beautiful spotted pony. By the side 
of the pony was a wee, wee colt. Oh, but 
the children were delighted! Bobbie’s 
father and grandfather told them they 
could not take the little colt home with 
them this time for it was very young— 
too young to go on the road. However, 
their grandfather said that when the colt 
was a year old they might take it home 
with them for their very own. This was 
the surprise. 

Bobbie rode the pony a little way 
and then Grace rode her; and so they took 
turn and turn about riding Spot (that 
was the pony’s name) on the lawn. Ev¬ 
erywhere the pony went the little colt 
went too. Because the colt was so young 


40 



Bobbie’s Journey 

the children could not ride far on its 
mother. 

At evening Bobbie and Grace took 
Spot and her tiny colt down to the old 
apple orchard. They were to leave them 
there for the night so that Spot might 
eat grass and the colt might lie down and 
rest. For a long time Grace would not 
go back to the house but stood by the 
little colt. At last Bobbie said, “Come on, 
don’t you see the sun is down? It will 
soon be dark, and anyway I’m hungry.” 

Then again Grace patted the colt 
and finally at a distance she followed 
Bobbie. As they passed on toward the 
house Grace saw something entirely new 
to her and very, very strange. Was it a 
big flower? No, it moved and when she 
called out to Bobbie to come and see it, a 
loud noise came from the great pretty 
fan-like object. Then the thing turned 
around and she recognized that it was 


41 


Bob, the Pioneer 

a bird. The old black man, Joe, explained 
that this was a peacock and he said, 
“They always squall that way at evening 
and they strut and strut whenever they 
feel big.” 

That night it rained and the next 
morning their grandfather sent a Negro 
slave to the fish trap and Bobbie was 
permitted to go. Grace wanted to go too 
but her mother said, “No, it’s too far 
and too rough going for a little girl. You 
stay and play with Spot and the colt.” 

It seemed a long, long muddy road 
to Bobbie and the rush of water under 
them as they walked over the dam at the 
fish trap was so rapid and the wet stones 
were so slick that Bobbie at last con¬ 
sented to let good old Joe lead him. What 
a great pile of wriggling fish they found! 
Old Joe had a large bag and soon it was 
almost full of fish. Bobbie could not even 
lift the catch. “Joe,” said Bobbie, “how 


42 


Bobbie’s Journey 

does this thing get full of fish?” Patiently 
Old Joe tried to explain. “See dat water 
pouring over here? Dat’s a fall board. 
See how fast de water is running to 
it? Well, Mr. Fish goes out to swim 
and before he knows it he gets in the 
swift water and flop, over he goes into 
the trap. Look! Look! Bobbie, here comes 
one now. See that? He can’t get out! He’s 
a fine one too. That’s a good fish trap, 
you bet.” 

When they were ready to go home 
Old Joe first led Bobbie ashore and then 
returning brought the great bag of fish. 
“Yes sir, little master,” said Old Joe, 
“we got fish for everybody and more and 
more coming down into the trap. It’ll be 
full again by night.” 

Half way home they heard hounds 
in full cry and rushing up to the top of 
a hill they were able to see the chase 
passing up the valley not far away. Not 


43 


Bob, the Pioneer 


more than one hundred yards in front 
of the pack ran a great timber wolf with 
his long, red tongue hanging far out as 
he strained forward in a flight for his 
life. Out in the front of the pack Bob¬ 
bie’s hound, Old Lead, true to his name, 
led the chase. Next to him was a huge 
black-and-tan hound of grandfather’s, 
and next was Drum whose booming voice 
made more noise than any of the other 
hounds. Fully twenty hounds were in 
that chase and the noise was almost deaf¬ 
ening but Old Joe raised his voice and 
yelled at the big spotted hound. “Go on, 
Spot! Get that wolf, boy! What you do¬ 
ing, letting that hound lead you?” Bobbie 
also yelled at the top of his voice. “Go on, 
Lead! Catch that wolf! Go on Blue! 
Catch him and kill him, Drum!” The 
mad chase swept on up the valley. 

By and by, the noise of the chase 
suddenly ceased. The kill was made. Old 


44 


Bobbie’s Journey 

Joe and Bobbie hurried on to the house. 
The hounds soon returned and old Drum 
as usual had been in the battle for he had 
two fresh wounds where the wolf’s fangs 
had sliced his neck and shoulder. 

Bobbie, when at last he was alone 
with his grandfather said, “I think old 
Drum was the one that killed that wolf. 
Drum won’t stop for anything when a 
fight is on.” 

“But,” said the old man, “Joe said 
one of your dogs was leading all of them 
even ahead of my best hound, old Spot.” 

“Yes sir,” said the boy, “I saw it 
too. That was Lead. He is the fastest 
runner but when the wolf stopped to 
fight and the other hounds got ready to 
fight, I know old Drum rushed right in. 
I saw him fight a big bear once and a 
wounded panther another time, and he 
never stopped for anything. Old Drum 


45 


Bob, the Pioneer 

is the best fighter. That’s why he always 
gets hurt.” 

“Well, I suppose you are right. 
Some hounds have wonderful courage,” 
said the old man. 

Then horses were brought and Bob¬ 
bie went with his father and grandfather 
to find the dead wolf. On the trip Bobbie 
did most of the talking for he wanted his 
grandfather to know all about his three 
old pals, Lead, Drum and Blue. 

The dead wolf lying near the foot of 
a high cliff told the mute story of the 
kill. As they rode home the grandfather 
said, “If that wolf could have kept ahead 
of the hounds for a quarter of a mile 
further he would have been safe for 
there are many caves in that place. No 
doubt he tried to reach his den.” 

No one seemed to know how the 
chase had started but the master said he 
thought some of the Negroes had taken 


46 


Bobbie’s Journey 

the pack out very early in the morning, 
long before the family arose. For all 
knew there had been a long, long chase. 
Big timber wolves are hard to run down 
by hounds, however good the dogs may 
be. “But,” said the master, “it is all 
right and they know I don’t care.” 

At the table Bobbie asked his father 
why they did not have a home like grand¬ 
father’s with great broad fields and 
meadows. “We are thinking of going to 
such a place, son,” said he. “Your mam¬ 
ma and I have been talking about it. But 
it is a long, long way from here.” 

The next morning Bobbie and his 
family started back home very early in 
the morning and just at night came to 
their own little mountain home. 


47 


CHAPTER VI 


Bobbie’s Long Journey Through the 
Mountain Country and Far West 

During the days that Bobbie and the 
family visited his mother’s old home the 
talk of going West began and this talk 
was repeated at times through the sum¬ 
mer and fall. As the talk continued the 
desire to go West became stronger in 
Bobbie’s family. 

When Bobbie’s other grandfather, 
Mr. Wright, died and the family stayed 
for several days in his father’s old home 
the decision was finally made to go West. 
Soon Bobbie’s father sold the home place 
and all he had from his father’s estate 
except two Negro slaves, Ben and Kate. 
These slaves were to remain at the old 
homestead until Bobbie’s father should 


48 


Bobbie’s Journey 

need them. Then they were to go with 
their new master to the new land in the 
West. 

In April two covered wagons drawn 
by mule teams were driven down the 
mountain side from Bobbie’s home. In 
the front wagon were Bobbie’s father 
and mother, Grace and little brother. 
Back of them, driving the next team 
hitched to another covered wagon, were 
Ben, Kate and their little baby boy, 
named Dink; next came the cows and 
after them came Bobbie on the old black 
saddle horse, Dick. Trotting by Bobbie’s 
side or ambling through the woods at 
will were his three lazy old pals, Drum, 
Lead and Blue. 

At the end of the first day’s journey 
the family spent the night at the home 
of one of Bobbie’s uncles. The next morn¬ 
ing after saying goodbye to these kin¬ 
folk the little caravan moved on into 


49 


Bob, the Pioneer 


strange country. Slowly the wagons 
rolled along westward, patiently the cows 
followed, sometimes far behind but never 
so far that the cow bell could not be 
heard by the family. Behind the cows 
came Bobbie, riding old Dick and whis¬ 
tling or singing as fancy dictated. Some¬ 
times when tired of the saddle he walked 
along the road to play with his pals while 
the horse followed the cows. 

That night camp was made in a 
little grove by a spring. It was jolly 
around the camp fire but when the work 
was all done and the group sat down to 
rest they all felt lonely in the deep forest. 
The sound of night life to which, of 
course, they had all been more or less ac¬ 
customed in their secluded home, seemed 
more distinct than ever before. The hoot¬ 
ing of the owls was louder, the howling 
of a lone wolf more weird. When the 
hounds bayed it seemed that the sound 


50 


Bobbie’s Journey 


of their voices was terrific. Even the 
little frogs croaked louder and the crick¬ 
ets in the grass chirped more noisily. 

At last quiet settled over the camp, 
the Negro slaves in one wagon, and the 
master and his family in the other. Bob¬ 
bie was on a little cot beneath the wagon 
in which the family slept, while Drum, 
Lead, and Blue slept as close to Bobbie’s 
cot as they could get. The horses and 
cows grazed contentedly about the camp. 
Bobbie was tired, but the stars were so 
bright, the shadows of the trees made by 
the flickering firelight were so fantastic 
and the situation so exposed that he re¬ 
mained wide awake. So many things dis¬ 
turbed him that it was a long, long time 
before he was sound asleep. 

Just when he was sound asleep (so 
it seemed to him) something disturbed 
Bobbie again and he opened his eyes. It 
was daylight. The camp fire was burning; 


51 


Bob, the Pioneer 


Kate was cooking breakfast; Ben was 
milking the cows; while Bobbie’s father 
was feeding the horse and mules and his 
mother was nursing the baby. 

Soon the travelers had finished 
breakfast and were ready to start on an¬ 
other day’s journey. Hour by hour down 
the valley rolled the wagons and behind 
them came the cows and last of all Bob¬ 
bie. When the noonday camp was made, 
Grace asked to be allowed to ride the 
horse sometimes. To this Bobbie and his 
parents agreed and thereafter Grace 
waited for Bobbie by the roadside when 
she had tired of the wagon. At such 
times the two children would have a good 
visit. Sometimes both of them would ride 
the horse and at other times Grace would 
ride alone while Bobbie walked. Finally 
the visiting would be closed by Grace’s 
return to the wagon. However, Bobbie 
was never relieved of his task of driving 


52 


Bobbie’s Journey 

the cows, and he never had any thought 
of quitting his work until it was finished. 

On such occasions Grace often said, 
“I wish I had that colt Grandfather is 
going to let us have; hut of course it is 
not a year old yet.” But Bobbie would 
reply, “Well, even if we had the colt and 
it were a year old, we couldn’t ride it. 
It couldn’t even follow the other horses 
on this long journey. When we get way 
out West I’ll get you a pretty spotted 
pony from the Indians.” 

For days the travelers had followed 
a valley down which a little stream 
flowed. This stream, as they followed it 
almost from its source, grew day by day 
until it was almost a river. Frequently 
they had to cross the stream where there 
was no bridge. They came one evening to 
a ford and decided to camp for the night 
before crossing. All night it rained. It 
also rained the next day, a driving rain, 


53 


Bob, the Pioneer 


with gusts of wind. Here the westward 
movement was halted because fording 
the stream was impossible. There was 
nothing to do but wait for the waters to 
recede. About midmorning on the third 
day of this forced encampment the sun 
came out. Bobbie’s father brought out 
the rifle and the boy thought they were 
going to hunt squirrels. 

Quietly they started through the 
woods and in a little while selected a 
fallen tree and sat down on its trunk to 
wait as Bobbie thought for the game to 
come out to play. Within a very few 
minutes Bobbie’s father very cautiously 
and quickly slipped down behind the 
trunk of the fallen tree. Bobbie, without 
waiting to know why he did so, followed 
his father’s example. When the rifle was 
cautiously thrust across the log Bobbie 
found the direction and there not very 
far distant were several deer. Their curi- 


54 



Bobbie’s Journey 


osity had led them toward the camp. 
There was only a second to wait and then 
Bobbie’s father pressed the trigger. A 
buck fifty or sixty yards distant leaped 
into the air and all the herd ran away 
through the woods. In a little while this 
particular buck began lagging behind the 
others and soon he ceased to run, stag¬ 
gered, and fell. Then the Negro, Ben, 
was called and after preparing the veni¬ 
son he carried it to the camp. As the 
three approached camp Ben said, “Mas¬ 
ter Jack, I haven’t ever had much of this 
kind of meat.” 

“Ben,” said the master, “you may 
have all of the venison you want this 
time. It is summer and we can’t keep the 
meat. Eat all you want. But as soon as 
we get to camp take the tallow or fat 
from the deer and grease our harness. 
After all this rain the leather will need 
greasing.” 


55 


Bob, the Pioneer 

“Yes sir,” said the Negro. “I’ll put 
the harness on that big log in the sun and 
I’ll grease them.” 

Once at camp Ben went to work to 
grease the harness and as he worked he 
sang: 

“I eat when I’m hungry, 

I drink when I’m dry, 

And if a tree don’t fall on me, 

I’ll live ’til I die.” 

Over and over again all through the 
morning hours Ben sang at his work 
bareheaded in the hot sunshine while his 
mate, Kate, was busy about the camp un¬ 
til the noonday meal was ready. When 
they had eaten, Bobbie and his father 
started toward a cabin which they had 
seen far up in the hills. When they came 
to the cabin it seemed very quiet. “Per¬ 
haps no one lives there,” said Bobbie. 
They had seen smoke arising from the 


56 


Bobbie’s Journey 


chimney of that cabin earlier in the day 
and for that reason they thought that 
surely somebody must live in it. When 
they came to the door and knocked, a 
voice called to them to come in. They en¬ 
tered and saw an aged man lying on a 
crude bunk by the wall. Slowly the aged 
one arose to a sitting position and said, 
“Stranger, take the chair; young’n sit 
here on the bunk by me. My name is Jim 
Withers. I’m the only man living in this 
neighborhood since Pap died fifteen 
years ago. Be you just passing through 
and held up by the rain?” 

“My name is Jack Wright,” said 
Bobbie’s father. “We were just passing 
through to western Missouri and were 
held by the high waters.” 

“I saw your smoke by the ford,” 
said the old man, “and I thought of go¬ 
ing down and passing the time of day 
with you, but I haven’t felt well lately. 


57 


Bob, the Pioneer 


After the rain today I started down but 
played out before I got half way to you.” 
The old man again reclined in his bunk 
and seemed completely exhausted. 

“I shot a buck this morning and 
thought you might like to have some 
venison,” said Mr. Wright. 

“Yes,” said the old man, “but neigh¬ 
bor I’m afraid I can’t come for it.” 

“I’ll send my Negro, Ben, over with 
it then, and if you need anything else 
I’ll be glad to send that too,” said the 
visitor. 

“If you could spare a little coffee 
and a mite of whiskey I’d like it. I think 
I need some stimulant. I think I nearly 
passed out today after my walk,” said 
the old man. Then he rested awhile and 
said, “I’m sorry you don’t want to settle 
here in these hills; I wouldn’t live any¬ 
where else. I’ve never lived in any house 
but this. My Pap and Ma and my wife 


58 


Bobbie’s Journey 


are all buried under that pine tree that 
stands just below the spring. I hoped 
some one would bury me there some time 
but maybe if I know just when the end 
is coming I can lay my own bones down 
by their graves and that will do.” 

Bobbie and his father said goodbye 
and hurried back toward camp. As soon 
as they were out of hearing Bobbie 
wanted to know what was the matter 
with the man. His father said, “He seems 
to be dying from loneliness, grief and 
starvation but we’ll soon fix him up.” 

It was nearly sundown when they 
reached the camp and Ben was still sing¬ 
ing but he had changed his song to “The 
Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane.” Bob¬ 
bie’s father listened to Ben and then said, 
“Well, people do get attached to their old 
homes, I suppose, but we are going to 
make a new home; something better than 
a cabin in the woods or a cabin in the 


59 


Bob, the Pioneer 


lane. We can never improve our condi¬ 
tions unless we try and Bob, you and I 
are going to make a real try for a better 
situation in life.” 

Ben was called and given a pack of 
venison, bacon, coffee, flour and also the 
bottle of whiskey, and some quinine from 
the medicine box. These he was to take 
to the old man’s cabin. Ben was told not 
to receive any pay in case it was offered 
but to leave the pack and come back to 
camp. 


60 


CHAPTER VII 


Bobbie’s Long Journey (Continued) 
Meeting Difficult Duties 

Soon after Ben left for the old man’s 
cabin, Kate called the family to supper. 
As they ate Bobbie and his father told 
the others of the old man’s sad condition 
and the hope that they could restore him. 
“For,” said Mr. Wright, “it is too bad 
to leave a sick old man here in the woods 
without any neighbors or any chance of 
having a doctor with him. It is our duty 
to do what we can.” 

Kate and Ben always ate apart 
from the master’s table, of course, and 
after the white folks finished eating, 
Kate was busy clearing away the dishes 
of her master’s table and arranging the 
food for Ben and for herself. When Ben 


ei 


Bob, the Pioneer 

returned, he hurriedly called Mr. Wright 
aside and said to him in awed tones, 
“Master Jack, the old man’s dead.” 

“How do you know?” said Mr. 
Wright. 

“I went into the cabin and I saw 
him and it scared me so that I ran all 
the way back here,” said Ben. 

“Well, Ben,” said his master, “eat 
your supper and then you and Bobbie 
and I will go back to the cabin and bury 
the old man. It’s our duty.” 

Ben did not want much to eat for 
he was so upset that he could not enjoy 
his victuals. It was not long until the 
three left for the cabin once more; this 
time Ben carried a hammer, some nails 
and a spade. Bobbie’s father carried a 
small Bible, a saw, a candle, some writ¬ 
ing paper, a goose quill pen, and a bottle 
of ink. 

Sure enough the old man was dead. 


62 


Meeting Difficult Duties 

The cabin was built out of hewn pine 
logs. Even the window casings, window 
sills, the door and the table were made 
from boards hewn out of logs. There was 
not a piece of sawed lumber in or about 
the house. Mr. Wright noticed this when 
he began to look for lumber with which 
to make a coffin. It was finally decided 
to lay the bunk in the bottom of the 
grave, place the old man on it and then 
place the door and the table top over him 
for a cover. 

It was far into the night before the 
grave was ready and then Ben could not 
be induced to help carry the body. There¬ 
fore, the master bore the body to the 
grave. While Bobbie held the candle for 
him he read the first few verses of the 
fifth chapter of Matthew (a portion of 
the Beatitudes). After that he said, “Ben 
you can sing the Doxology and I will 
help you.” 


63 


Bob, the Pioneer 


“But, Master Jack,” said the slave, 
“is it right for a Negro to sing at white 
folk's funeral?” 

“Of course,” said Mr. Wright. “Go 
on and I will help you.” Ben began to 
sing, “Praise God from Whom All Bless¬ 
ings Flow.” His master’s deep rich voice 
joined him but Bobbie could only hum. 
He did not have the courage even to form 
words. Then in the moonlight the master 
lowered the body into the grave. Master 
and servant filled the grave with earth 
and going back into the cabin Mr. 
Wright wrote as follows: 

“Jim Withers, age about 80, died 
this date, April 28, 1827, and was buried 
by me, Jack Wright, of Hawkins County, 
Tennessee, now enroute to western Mis¬ 
souri.” 

This note was fastened on the wall 
beside the doorway. Then Bobbie’s father 
said, “That’s all we can do for him now. 


64 


Meeting Difficult Duties 

Ben, you get the pack you brought. I’ll 
take the saw, spade, and hammer; also 
the pen and ink, and Bobbie will carry the 
Bible.” 

Silently they started back toward 
the camp but Ben was in front. Nothing 
would induce him to linger near the 
grave or to get far from his master now. 
Like many primitive men he greatly 
feared the dead. 

About midnight they reached camp 
and in silence went to bed. But far into 
the night Ben’s subdued voice was to be 
heard as he told Kate what an awful or¬ 
deal they had been through. Finally he 
said, “But Kate, he is a good, brave man 
and I’m glad we belong to him. I know 
he will never neglect us or let us suffer.” 

“Thank the good Lord,” said Kate 
and then deep silence reigned. 

The next morning was bright and 
sunny but the swollen stream still ap- 


65 


Bob, the Pioneer 


peared too deep to ford. However, the 
water was falling. After breakfast was 
over the master said, “We have been on 
our journey two weeks and I think it is 
at least a hundred miles from here to 
Nashville. We must prepare to move on.” 

At midmorning Bobbie’s father 
called Ben and said, “Bring the saddle 
horse here. I’m going to cross over and 
test the ford.” 

When Ben brought the horse he 
said, “Master Jack, let me cross the ford. 
You all needn’t go into the water. I may 
be afraid of a dead man but I’ve no fear 
of Old Man River.” 

“Can you swim, Ben? If you can’t 
swim, I won’t let you go,” said the master. 

“Yes, sir, Master Jack. I’m a good 
swimmer,” said the slave. Then he 
mounted and rode into the stream, sooth¬ 
ing the horse and saying, “Go on, good 
nigger horse, Ben won’t let you drown. 


66 


Meeting Difficult Duties 

That’s it, slow and careful.” The black 
horse and his no less black rider crossed 
over and back again safely but the mas¬ 
ter decided to wait until afternoon as he 
feared the water was so deep that it 
would come into the wagon boxes and 
damage the loads. 

Early in the afternoon the travelers 
crossed the stream and moved on west¬ 
ward. But again bad luck awaited them 
for soon after sunset as the camp was 
beginning to become quiet for the eve¬ 
ning rest the hounds dashed out into the 
timber after a wolf and one of the cows 
hastily stepping aside to let the dogs go 
by was bitten on the leg by a rattlesnake. 
Ben saw it and seizing a club dashed up¬ 
on the offending snake and killed it. The 
cow would be lame at least; or perhaps 
she would die. In any event, it appeared 
that there would be another delay. 

So night came again. The wolf ran 


67 


Bob, the Pioneer 

into a den in the cliff and the hounds re¬ 
turned. Once more the camp was silent 
as the blaze of the campfire flickered and 
went out leaving only coals glowing in 
the dark. 


68 


CHAPTER VIII 


Bobbie’s Long Journey (Continued) 
New Experiences 

The following morning was bright 
and clear, but what to do? The cow was 
not dead but she was lame, of course, and 
therefore the Wrights could not travel 
far. But there had been so many delays 
that the travelers were anxious to make 
more progress toward their new home. 
After breakfast while they were still 
undecided, a man rode up from the west 
to their camp. 

“Good morning, stranger,” he said. 
“I saw your smoke last night and this 
morning and came over to be neighbor¬ 
ly.” After introducing himself and learn¬ 
ing who they were he said, “By the way, 
there is an old man living some eight or 


69 


Bob, the Pioneer 

ten miles back near this road. I am won¬ 
dering if you saw him?” When he was 
told of the condition in which the old 
man was found and of his death and 
burial he said, “Well, it is too bad but 
he has been unhappy for many years 
and there was nothing that anyone could 
do for him except to see that he had food 
and was kept alive.” Then he invited 
the travelers to his home which was only 
two and a half miles distant. It was de¬ 
cided, therefore, to drive to his home and 
visit while Bobbie brought the cows. 

Once more the travelers moved on. 
Bobbie and the cows went very very 
slowly. It was noon when Bobbie arrived 
with the cows and he and his family ate 
the noon meal in the home of the farm¬ 
er. 

Here the travelers learned that they 
were now out of the mountain region 
and into a fertile area where the coun- 


70 


New Experiences 

try was more thickly settled so that they 
would frequently pass many plantations. 
Bobbie was glad when his father asked 
the farmer to keep the crippled cow and 
he agreed to do so. Early in the after¬ 
noon the travelers resumed their jour¬ 
ney. The lame cow being left behind, the 
travelers went a long distance that after¬ 
noon. 

It would be impossible to record the 
incidents in every camp, the kindness 
shown and the good will offered by the 
country people whose homes Bobbie 
passed. Every day the tasks were the 
same. Day by day Bobbie drove the cows; 
sometime during the day Grace came to 
visit him. New faces were seen, and 
varied incidents together with new ex¬ 
periences along the way kept everybody 
interested and made the journey more 
enjoyable. 

At last they came to Nashville- 


71 


Bob, the Pioneer 


not, of course, the Nashville of today— 
but to Bobbie a most wonderful place. 
Several hundred people lived there and 
there was the very house in which the 
Legislature met to make the state laws. 
By the town flowed the Cumberland 
River, the largest stream of water Bob- 
bie had ever seen. Bobbie and Grace won¬ 
dered if Ben would be afraid of this 
great river. When they asked him he 
was not so sure. 

For three days they stayed in Nash¬ 
ville and made careful inquiries about 
the new land to which they were going. 
They learned that Missouri was now a 
state and no longer a territory and also 
that the Osage Indians had moved far¬ 
ther west. Bobbie was disappointed by 
this news for he had hoped to see these 
Indians. They also learned that Missouri 
was rapidly being settled. When they had 
found out all they could about the re- 


72 


New Experiences 


maining portion of their journey and the 
horse and mules and the cows were 
rested, they started on again. Following 
the course of the Cumberland River they 
intended to go across Kentucky and 
Southern Illinois to St. Louis which was 
near the journey’s end. It was a journey 
of about three weeks from Nashville to 
St. Louis. 

One afternoon the cows seemed very 
lazy and in time Bobbie knew that he 
was far behind the wagons but the cows 
would not hurry. Then a black cloud 
came up rapidly from the southwest and 
almost before the boy realized it the 
storm broke. At that time Bobbie was in 
a dense forest through which the road 
led. Lightning almost blinded him and the 
roar of the wind was dreadful. Then the 
cows became frightened and ran away 
through the tangled jungle of trees and 
bushes. Bobbie urged Dick forward as 


73 


Bob, the Pioneer 


fast as he could but going through the 
jungle was difficult. Once a bright flash 
of lightning blinded Bobbie for a moment 
and faithful old Dick stumbled and fell 
to his knees but he arose again trem¬ 
bling. Bobbie thought the horse had been 
struck by the lightning but it was only 
the shock from a bolt of lightning which 
had shattered a large tree near by. 

“Go on, nigger horse,” said Bobbie 
as he patted Dick’s neck and then he dis¬ 
covered that he himself was almost as 
nervous as the horse. Where were the 
cows? How dark it was. The storm re¬ 
doubled its fury. A large tree crashed to 
the earth across the path that Bobbie 
was following and Dick stopped sudden¬ 
ly, trembling more than ever. Now the 
horse was thoroughly frightened. 

“Whoa! Dick,” said Bobbie, “we are 
both getting scared. Whoa! now!” and 


74 


New Experiences 

good faithful old Dick stood still and 
tried not to tremble. 

Branches of trees were falling here 
and there. Frequently a loud crash told 
that a giant forest tree had been broken 
down. Bobbie, thinking that he heard the 
cow bell, pulled Dick to one side and 
started again when a limb falling from 
a tree struck the horse, making him 
plunge forward frantically. Gradually 
Bobbie got him under control again and 
then a large limb torn from a tree struck 
the boy and unseated him. Whether he 
was unconscious for a second, a minute, 
or ten minutes is not known but at last 
he realized that he was on the ground, 
lying in mud and water and that it was 
hailing. But good old Dick, head down 
and shivering, stood waiting for him. 
When Bobbie arose and tried to climb 
upon Dick’s back he discovered that his 
right arm was injured for he could not 


75 


Bob, the Pioneer 

use his right hand. He also realized that 
he was shivering. Whether his shivering 
was from pain, fright, or cold, he could 
not tell but at any rate he deter¬ 
mined to go on after the cows. Leading 
Dick up to the trunk of a fallen tree he 
was able to mount. 

Again seated on Dick he started 
through the jungle and then he really 
heard the bell and soon found the cows. 
They were standing under a large over¬ 
hanging bluff. Here out of the storm 
Bobbie rested for awhile and examined 
his arm to find that it was beginning to 
swell rapidly, and he thought it was 
broken. However, in a few minutes the 
worst of the storm was over and Bobbie 
forced the cows into the open and began 
to search for the road which he at last 
found. 

No sooner had the storm ceased 
than Bobbie’s father and Ben, the slave, 


76 


New Experiences 


started out to search for the boy. They 
were not far from the bluff under which 
the cows had taken refuge. When Bob¬ 
bie started the cows on again, the men 
could hear the bell and very soon they 
found him. Bobbie’s face had been lashed 
by the branches of the trees during the 
storm. He thought his arm was broken 
and knew he was badly battered but he 
could not have known the impression he 
made when he met his father and the 
slave. He was pale from suffering and 
his face was smeared with blood from 
the scratches of the bushes. 

“Are you hurt?” said his father. 

“Not much,” said Bobbie. “Maybe 
my arm is broken, I don’t know. My 
teeth won’t stop chattering.” 

Soon they came to camp and Bob¬ 
bie’s mother said, “Why didn’t you let 
the old cows go?” 

“No,” said Bobbie, “I started to 


77 


Bob, the Pioneer 

drive the cows to Missouri and I am go¬ 
ing to get them there.” 

Carefully Bobbie’s father examined 
the arm and found that it was not 
broken. Dry clothing made Bobbie feel 
much better so that his teeth ceased to 
chatter and food improved his condition 
even more. At the suggestion of his 
father Bobbie’s mother prepared a sling 
for the arm. When the arm was care¬ 
fully bandaged and was at last in the 
sling the father said, “This arm is going 
to be almost useless for a little while. 
You can take the arm out of the sling 
when you want to do so but I don’t think 
you will use that arm much for a week 
or two. The bone may be fractured but 
it is not broken and your arm will be as 
good as new in a short time.” 

The red sunset had painted the 
green forest in brilliant colors and sup¬ 
per was over before Grace had a chance 


78 


New Experiences 

to be alone with Bobbie. Then she had 
him tell her all about his experience in 
the storm. “Oh, but it was awful, wasn’t 
it Bobbie? But you were brave, Bobbie,” 
she said. 

But Bobbie replied, “Oh, shut up, 
Grace. Do you think I’d quit my task un¬ 
til I’d finished it? No, siree, I’m driving 
the cows to Missouri Territory.” 

“Missouri State,” corrected Grace. 

“Well, to our new home,” answered 
Bobbie, “wherever it is.” 

Just then Dink, Kate’s little pick- 
anniny, became so loud in his crying that 
the Negro slave hurried to him and Bob¬ 
bie’s mamma followed to see what could 
be the trouble for Dink had never cried 
so loudly before. When Kate was ques¬ 
tioned by her mistress she said, “I de¬ 
clare, Missus, I was so flustrated; first 
the storm scared me so and Master Bob¬ 
bie was so hurt, I plumb forgot to give 


79 


Bob, the Pioneer 

this child his supper. But hell be all 
right pretty soon. I’m going to give him 
his supper now.” 

Then in her strong arms she held 
the child to her breast and little Dink be¬ 
came quiet. The cattle and the horses 
grazed contentedly; the sun faded; the 
camp fire died down to a dull glow; the 
travelers sought their beds and one by 
one fell asleep. 


80 


CHAPTER IX 


Bobbie’s Long Journey (Continued) 
Along the Open Road 

While Bobbie had the crippled arm 
everyone tried to ease his burden as 
much as possible. Ben bridled and sad¬ 
dled old Dick for him each morning and 
did whatever he could to help the boy. 
Grace offered to drive the cows but met 
with stern objections from Bobbie. 

“I’ll do the driving. I started out to 
drive the cows and I’ll finish. It’s my 
job,” said Bobbie. There seemed to be 
no way to relieve Bobbie and he did not 
wish to be relieved. He resented every 
offer which seemed to imply he was not 
able to do his task. 

During these days he must have suf¬ 
fered much. Always the travelers could 


81 


Bob, the Pioneer 


hear the cow bells tinkling behind the 
wagons but Bobbie’s merry singing and 
whistling they did not hear for many 
days. Faithful little Grace prolonged her 
visits each day and this was all she could 
do. 

One day they drove by a cabin and 
a mongrel dog ran out and barked furi¬ 
ously. Finally it snapped at one of the 
mules but ran away when Mr. Wright 
scolded. The man whose house it was sat 
in a chair in the shade of a tree by the 
cabin. He did not seem friendly. When 
just beyond the cabin, Ben stopped his 
team and was busy rearranging some 
part of his load. Whether the native in¬ 
stinct of the slave told him this was not 
a good man, no one knows. Maybe he 
really stopped because the load needed 
attention. It is reasonable to believe, 
however, that he feared for his little 


82 


Along the Open Road 

master’s safety when he should come to 
pass this cabin. 

At any rate he was there when Bob¬ 
bie and the cows came by and the dog ran 
out to bite the cows and to bark at Bob¬ 
bie’s horse. Perhaps Bobbie was not in 
a very good humor. Perhaps his arm was 
hurting him more than usual. It may 
have been that he did not like the looks 
of this dog. At any rate he called on his 
three pals, Drum, Lead, and Blue and 
they chased the dog into the yard and 
in following it they knocked down the 
chair in which the man was sitting. Then 
things began to happen. The names this 
man called Bobbie would not do to put in 
print. Ben, hearing the abuse heaped up¬ 
on Bobbie, ran back to the defense of 
the boy. This seemed to make the man 
more angry. The idea of a Negro slave 
confronting him was too much and he 
began threats to kill. Ben tried to reason 


83 


Bob, the Pioneer 


with him and urged Bobbie to go on. But 
Bobbie would not go. No doubt he was 
afraid of the man but in some way he felt 
he was not going to run. The man dashed 
into the house and came out with a gun 
in his hand. How it happened that Mr. 
Wright knew of the trouble no one knows 
but in the height of the excitement he 
suddenly appeared upon the scene. He 
must have heard much that had been 
said but he did not enter into any argu¬ 
ment. Swiftly he approached the man, 
knocked him down, and took his gun 
away from him. He broke the gun over 
the gate post and threw the pieces back 
into the yard. Then he told the Negro 
slave and the boy to go on. Bobbie in¬ 
stantly obeyed his father and Ben his 
master, but they both looked back to 
see what else would happen. The man's 
wife came out screaming that her man 
was killed but her mate disproved that 


84 


Along the Open Road 

assertion by rising to his feet. However, 
his anger seemed to be gone. What else 
happened Ben and Bobbie never knew. 
At any rate Bobbie’s father came on 
presently, resumed his seat in the wagon 
and the caravan moved forward. 

The next day Bobbie mentioned to 
his mother the affair but she only said, 
“Don’t question your father, Bobbie. I 
can’t tell you anything and of course 
he won’t, but perhaps the man deserved 
what he got.” 

“But,” said Bobbie, “I thought for 
awhile the man was dead. What if he 
had been killed?” 

“Don’t talk about it, son,” she said. 

“Well,” said Bobbie, “I think I’ll 
not sick my hounds on another dog even 
if he does nip the cows. It’s apt to cause 
too much trouble. I never saw Daddy 
look as he did when he came up to that 
man.” 


85 


Bob, the Pioneer 

Ben told Kate all about the trouble 
with comments of his own added. “I was 
afraid he would kill me and I couldn’t 
get little Bobbie to go on so I could run. 
I know that a Negro should never strike 
a white man but I would not let that 
man touch my little master, especially 
when he had one arm in a sling. But 
good gracious, Master Jack can surely 
take care of bad men. He surely can.” 

“I think,” said Kate, “that our mas¬ 
ter will protect us and I thank the good 
Lord.” 

On another day when Bobbie was 
far behind with his cows as they were 
passing a nice farm house the tired 
beasts finding the front gate open rushed 
in upon the lawn to graze and worst of 
all trampled on some flowers. Instantly 
Bobbie was after them but with only one 
hand he could not use the whip very well 
and still guide the horse with the reins. 


86 


Along the Open Road 

Soon a lady came out, saw the trouble 
and called two young Negro slaves who 
helped Bobbie drive the cows out into the 
road. 

No sooner were the unruly cows on 
their way than Bobbie turned, dis¬ 
mounted and went in to apologize to the 
lady for what the cows had done. He said, 
“Lady, the old cows messed up your 
lawn and ruined some of your flowers 
before I could stop them but my father 
will pay you whatever is right.” 

“Well, well!” said she, “and do you 
really think I want pay for an accident? 
Why child, you couldn’t help it. How did 
you hurt your arm?” Bobbie told her 
and she said, “Well you are a fine little 
man. Come in won’t you and have some 
cake or pie and a nice cool drink?” 

“No, ma’am. Thank you,” said Bob¬ 
bie. “It’s my job to drive the cows to 


87 


Bob, the Pioneer 

Missouri and if I don’t keep after them 
they may get into more devilment.” 

Then the lady laughed, called a serv¬ 
ant to bring some drinking water and 
with her own hands plucked a rose and 
pinned it on Bobbie’s shirt. Then when 
he had finished drinking she said, “I 
know you’ll make a fine man out in the 
West. Goodbye and God bless you.” 

Bobbie remounted old Dick and fol¬ 
lowed the cows. Soon he was singing as 
of old. When he drove the cows into 
camp that evening he was singing again. 

Late one afternoon the travelers 
camped at a fine spring by the road side. 
It was a most beautiful spot with trees, 
grass and wild flowers in abundance. 
While Kate was cooking the men were 
caring for the horse and mules and Bob¬ 
bie’s mother was rubbing liniment on the 
injured arm, Grace climbed up a little 
hill back of the camp to get some pretty 


88 


Along the Open Road 


flowers. She then called everybody to 
come and see what she had found. It was 
a great arbor made by placing poles 
across from tree to tree and roofing this 
over with leafy branches. Beneath were 
rude seats. This arbor was used by the 
community for camp meetings. 

Soon people began to arrive for the 
meeting and they came over to the camp 
and invited the travelers to join in their 
services that night. 

Ben and Kate stayed in camp but 
Bobbie, Grace and their parents went to 
the meeting. The sermon was about two 
hours in length and of course, Bobbie 
and Grace were both asleep long before 
the preacher had finished but they awoke 
when the singing began again. 

The next morning as Ben worked 
about the camp he sang one after an¬ 
other every song that had been sung at 
the camp meeting and for a week or 


89 


Bob, the Pioneer 

more, every day as he drove along the 
open road he sang over and over again 
these songs. In some of these songs Ben 
had the words badly mixed but the tunes 
were all in order. 

Although Grace had slept most of 
the time while the sermon was being de¬ 
livered she surprised Bobbie the next 
day by imitating the singsong style of 
delivery and the peculiar gestures of the 
pioneer preacher. Bobbie laughed at the 
imitations but cautioned Grace not to let 
her parents hear her. Grace, reasoning 
that if her parents would disapprove 
then it must be wrong, soon ceased to 
give these imitations. 

Day by day they moved along and 
each night they camped a day’s journey 
nearer to St. Louis. 


90 


CHAPTER X 


Bobbie’s Long Journey (Continued) 
In Missouri 

One day the teams were halted and 
when Bobbie arrived the travelers were 
standing on the banks of the Mississippi 
River, looking over into St. Louis. In 
due time they were taken across the river 
in a ferry boat and here they encamped. 
They stayed at St. Louis for several 
days gathering information and buying 
supplies. Here was a large number of 
people—Frenchmen, hunters in buck¬ 
skin, plainsmen with rifles and knives, 
rivermen, slaves, Indians in feathers 
and beaded moccasins, freighters, and 
adventurers of all kinds. Here also were 
the finest houses Bobbie had ever seen, 
some of them two stories high. These 


91 


Bob, the Pioneer 

were a source of wonder to Bobbie and 
Grace. The boats that came in and de¬ 
parted on the river were of much interest 
also. 

One day when Bobbie was with his 
father in town they went to see a gentle¬ 
man and Bobbie remembered the man's 
replies about as follows: “Yes, my name 
is Daniel Morgan Boone. Yes, I know 
western Missouri. I trapped beaver for 
a good many years just south of the Mis¬ 
souri River where the Kaw River 
empties into it. I have trapped on the 
Big Blue and the Little Blue. In between 
these creeks you will find a rich coun¬ 
try. You will also find, if you go there, 
that the Osage Indians have all left. 
They may come back once in awhile to 
visit but they have quit that part of the 
country. No, I don't think you will find 
anything but Catholic churches. The 
Jesuits have a mission at the mouth of 

92 


In Missouri 


the Kaw River. Chouteau has a trading 
post there. Yes, all of these Indians— 
Osage and Kaw—are of the Siouan 
origin. Surely, you will find prairie land 
and timbered land. Yes, the country is 
well watered and fertile. It is being set¬ 
tled most rapidly. Yes, you might find 
some settler who wants to leave and 
would sell to you. I don’t know about 
that. Yes, there are some settlements 
between here and that place. Up the 
Missouri River near the middle of the 
state they are building the town of Jef¬ 
ferson City. It is just started, and up the 
river from there is Boonville which is 
older. Only thirty miles from Jefferson 
City a new town has been started. They 
call it Columbia. At Fort Sibley, I think, 
it might be well to stop unless you go 
by boat and in that case it would be bet¬ 
ter to go on to Westport Landing. There 
the Chouteau Trading Post could fit you 


93 




Bob, the Pioneer 

out and give you the information you 
want. No, it was no trouble at all. I am 
glad to tell you anything I know about 
the country. Yes, there is plenty of game 
in that country. There are deer and elk 
but nearly all the buffalo have drifted 
west to the plains. Yes, I am the third 
son of the famous Daniel Boone. Yes, 
come back if you want to ask me any 
more questions about the country.” 

After this information had been re¬ 
ceived Bobbie’s father decided that they 
should start at once for western Mis¬ 
souri and locate there if the country 
seemed to him as good as Boone had said 
it was. 

It was at this time that the decision 
was made to make the rest of the jour¬ 
ney by boat. Instead of driving the cows 
through the rest of the way, Bobbie 
drove them onto the boat and then with 
nothing to do, he and Grace watched the 


In Missouri 


banks observing different kinds of peo¬ 
ple. They also watched the men at work 
and were especially interested in the 
loading and unloading of the boat’s 
cargo whenever it was docked. The boat 
did not make fast time up the river but 
to Bobbie it seemed a very rapid mode 
of travel and certainly it was an easy 
journey. Once the boat lodged on a sand 
bar and it was of interest to Bobbie to 
watch the procedure as they got out of 
this difficulty. Kate became almost panic 
stricken for fear they could not get off 
the sand bar. When the boat at last was 
free and started on up the river she said 
with a sigh, “I thank the good Lord.” 

At every landing the boat stopped. 
Sometimes it stayed several hours. This 
boat had a regular run, regular cus¬ 
tomers, and business seemed to be good. 

Within a few days the boat docked 
at Westport Landing late in the after- 


95 


Bob, the Pioneer 

noon and the travelers went ashore. 
There all about were Indian tepees. 
Near by stood the Jesuit Mission and 
most prominent of all the Chouteau 
Trading Post. 

The next day the wagons rolled 
southeastward from Westport Landing 
and Bobbie drove the cows after them. 
At noontime the travelers camped on 
the Big Blue River. That afternoon they 
crossed the Big Blue and proceeded east¬ 
ward where they had been told a settler 
lived who wished to sell out. They did 
not find the place that evening but 
camped where woodland and rolling 
prairie joined. The next morning they 
located the place they were seeking. It 
was a large tract of land partly of 
prairie and partly of timbered land. A 
large double log house had been built 
only a few years before. A cabin for the 
slaves, barns, hen house, and smoke 


96 


In Missouri 


house completed the cluster of buildings. 
The owner, whose wife had died, desired 
to return to New York and offered the 
place for sale. It was not long before he 
and Mr. Wright had made a bargain. 
The purchase included the land, its im¬ 
provements and all live stock which con¬ 
sisted of horses, cattle, hogs and poultry. 

At Independence, a newly estab¬ 
lished village, they found a notary pub¬ 
lic and the deed was made. Then Bob¬ 
bie’s father told Ben to bring the collar 
off old Rock, one of the mules in the team 
which Mr. Wright had been driving. 
When the collar was brought, he clipped 
the stitching with his knife and opening 
it took out the money (two thousand 
dollars) that was to go for the purchas¬ 
ing of the home and it seemed that he 
had a large sum of the money left. The 
remainder was not placed in the mule’s 
collar this time but in Mr. Wright’s 


97 


Bob, the Pioneer 

pocket. Then the family journeyed back 
to their new home. Bobbie, Grace, father, 
mother, and the baby were in the big 
house; Ben, Kate, and Dink were in the 
slave quarters; the mules, horses, cattle, 
and hogs rested in the barn lot; the 
chickens were in the hen house, and 
Drum, Lead and Blue lay by the side of 
the house seemingly with the intention 
of resting forever. 

By and by, candles were blown out 
and all sounds ceased except those made 
by the frogs at the brook and the whip¬ 
poorwills in the woods. Bobbie and the 
family were at last safe in their new 
home. 



CHAPTER XI 
Bobbie’s School Days 

In the new home there were busy 
days. Every morning before daylight 
came Mr. Wright arose, lighted the fire, 
called Ben and then opening the door to 
the stairway called, “Bob!” Soon the boy 
was out, milk pail in hand going toward 
the barn lot, still sleepy, but greeted by 
the coming dawn, by Ben’s singing, and 
by the sounds of industry as his father 
and Ben were at work about the place 
getting ready for another day. Bobbie 
would soon quicken his pace and with 
the swing of the work become busy also. 
Often he too would sing as he milked the 
cows and worked at the other morning 
chores. As full daylight came through 
the trees and lighted up the home, Bob- 


Bob, the Pioneer 

bie would return to the house, set the 
bucket of foaming milk down where 
Kate would attend to it later, wash his 
face and hands, comb his hair, and sit 
down with the family at the breakfast 
table in the dining room where Kate 
would serve the “white folks,” while Ben 
ate in the kitchen. Always as the sun 
came up these three—Bobbie, Ben and 
the master—were ready to begin an¬ 
other day’s work. 

The settlers of the neighborhood 
were fine sociable people and it was not 
long until Mr. Wright knew all of his 
neighbors. One of the efforts the people 
decided to make for community welfare 
was to erect a schoolhouse and educate 
their children. For several days there¬ 
after Ben and his master felled trees 
while Bobbie trimmed off limbs from the 
tree trunks. Then the trunks were cut 
into proper lengths for house-building 


100 


Bobbie’s School Days 

logs. Other farmers and their slaves were 
also busy cutting logs. When the logs 
were ready they were hauled to the place 
where the schoolhouse was to be built. 
This place was not more than a mile 
from Bobbie’s home. 

Finally the day was set for the log 
rolling. On that day the Wright family 
got up and ate breakfast before the sun 
came up. At sun-up Bobbie’s father 
drove his team to the clearing wiiere 
the schoolhouse was to be raised while 
Bobbie sat by him on the spring seat and 
Ben sat in the back of the wagon, sing¬ 
ing as usual. 

Soon after sun-up masters and serv¬ 
ants, men and boys were on the ground 
with broad axes and other tools. Then 
the work of raising the schoolhouse be¬ 
gan. “Many hands make light tasks” 
and so in one day arose the crude “temple 
of learning.” For several days after- 


101 


Bob, the Pioneer 

wards a few men were busy about the 
schoolhouse completing minor details 
such as cutting out a door and two win¬ 
dows, and making seats out of split logs. 
Speedily the schoolhouse was finished 
and a teacher, a middle-aged man, was 
employed. The parents agreed to pay 
tuition for there were no public schools 
as yet in the new country. 

After the schoolhouse was com¬ 
pleted the regular farm duties were re¬ 
sumed at Bobbie’s home. 

One rainy day Bobbie and his father 
went out to the barn where Ben was 
mending harness. They were not talking 
and on account of the dampness of the 
ground they made no noise in their ap¬ 
proach. When they came to the open door 
Ben quickly closed his pocket knife and 
put it in his pocket but not before Bob¬ 
bie’s father saw the knife and recognized 
it as one that had belonged to his father. 


102 


Bobbie’s School Days 

“Let me see your knife, Ben,” said he. 

“Please, master,” said the slave as 
he surrendered the knife. “Let me keep 
it. My old master gave it to me to mark 
pigs with and he passed away suddenly 
before he asked me for it. Please let me 
keep it to remember him by.” 

Only for a moment the master held 
the knife. Then he returned it to Ben 
and said, “Ben if you feel that way 
about it the knife is yours.” 

“Thank you, Master Jack. Thank 
you,” said Ben. 

When Bobbie and his father left 
the barn the boy said, “That is a fine 
knife. Why did you let him keep it? 
Didn’t he really steal it or at least get 
it dishonestly?” 

“Bob,” said his father, “we must 
not judge a slave by the standard of a 
freeman. In his own mind Ben has rea¬ 
soned that the knife should be his. It is 


103 


Bob, the Pioneer 

a small matter and slaves really get little 
enough out of life. Let Ben keep it. He 
would feel injured, wronged perhaps, if 
I took it. Never be too severe with one 
over whom you have power.” 

“But it is a fine knife,” said Bob¬ 
bie. 

“Yes,” said his father, “it was im¬ 
ported from England. It has been in our 
family a long time. My grandfather 
bought it and gave it to my father when 
I was a small boy.” 

“I wish I could have it,” said the 
boy. “I have no knife.” 

“Bob,” said his father, “you would 
not want to hurt Ben’s feelings and make 
him feel that we thought him dishonest 
just in order that you could have a 
pocket knife, would you?” 

“I think not,” said Bobbie. 

That knife was never again a sub¬ 
ject of discussion between father and 


104 


Bobbie’s School Days 

son but not long thereafter when his 
father returned from town one evening 
he brought a new pocket knife for Bob¬ 
bie. 

One morning Bobbie started to 
school with his one book, slate, pencil 
and a dinner bucket filled as only a slave 
and her mistress know how to contrive. 
The two red apples for which there was 
no room in the bucket were put in the 
pockets of Bobbie’s jean coat. 

School usually began soon after sun¬ 
rise and continued (with the usual 
morning, noon and afternoon recesses) 
until nearly sundown. The plan was that 
the pupils would start from home at 
sunrise and be back home by sunset. Bob¬ 
bie was not more than an average pupil. 
He was mischievous like other boys but 
was careful not to make any serious 
trouble perhaps more from fear of what 


105 


Bob, the Pioneer 

his father would say than from any love 
of the teacher. 

The girls wore calico or linsey- 
woolsey dresses and the boys wore home¬ 
made jean suits; in fact, they were just 
such boys and girls as were found at that 
time in any other neighborhood of the 
new state. 

In the second week when returning 
from school, Bobbie was startled by the 
sight of three elk fleeing through the 
woods and this fact was reported to his 
father as soon as the boy returned home. 
Ben became excited and wanted to go 
after them at once but Mr. Wright said, 
“They were scared and are perhaps 
many miles from here now but there 
are many elk in this country. At the 
right time we can try to get some of 
them, but not tonight.” 

The next day at noontime Bobbie 
and two of his little friends were play- 


106 


Bobbie’s School Days 


ing down by the spring where persim¬ 
mon trees grew. They were startled 
from their play when they looked up and 
saw an Indian warrior standing over 
them. He stood quietly and simply 
grunted, “How!” The boys silently and 
hurriedly withdrew and notified the 
teacher. He gathered in all the children. 
While they were lined up at the door 
listening to the teacher urging them to 
be cautious and brave, they were again 
startled by a group of Indians coming 
around the schoolhouse and standing be¬ 
hind the line of children. Then in unison 
the Indians said, “How!” The children 
were called into the house and the In¬ 
dians then looked in through the two 
windows and the door. The teacher 
seemed much amazed when one of the 
Indians explained in broken English, 
“Indians want to see the white papooses 
make leaves talk.” Then the teacher un- 


107 


Bob, the Pioneer 

derstood that they wanted to hear the 
children read from the books. To please 
the Indians he called the reading class. 
Some of the Indians were so curious they 
came in and peeped over the heads of the 
children to look closely at the books. Bob¬ 
bie gave his book to one Indian and the 
other Indians grouped around that one 
to share the book, sometimes turning it 
upside down and studying it from all 
angles, trying to learn where the words 
came from. At last the Indians seemed 
to give up trying to understand this 
strange thing, gave it back to Bobbie and 
silently disappeared in the forest. 

The school term that year was three 
months which in Bobbie’s mind was a long 
time. Early in the session Bobbie learned 
many things from the other boys and one 
of these things was never to carry left 
over food home in the dinner pail. The 
schoolboys felt that there should never be 


108 


Bobbie’s School Days 

any food taken home; hence on the way 
home at evening if any food had been left 
the pails were emptied. In following this 
plan Bobbie always stopped in the woods 
at the edge of his father’s farm and be¬ 
fore climbing over the fence threw out all 
left over food. What the boy did not know 
was that he was feeding the creatures of 
the wild regularly in a certain spot and 
the wolves, wildcats and other wild crea¬ 
tures soon learned that they could find 
food there every evening. So it was that 
as these creatures coming from their cav¬ 
erns in the near-by bluff prepared to start 
on their night of hunting food, whether 
by chance or design, they often passed 
this place and if food had been left they 
had no trouble in finding it. 

At last the teacher announced a spell¬ 
ing match to be held in the schoolhouse 
on Friday night. To this “spelling bee’’ 
everyone was invited. That evening Bob- 


109 




Bob, the Pioneer 

bie’s friend, Tom, went home with him in 
order to be nearer to the place of the meet¬ 
ing. The two boys, anxious to be on hand 
early at the spelling match left the house 
before the other members of the family 
were ready to go. A northeast wind was 
blowing and snow was flying as the two 
boys raced through the field, facing the 
driving snow, hurrying on to be early at 
the schoolhouse. With them were the three 
old hounds—Drum, Lead and Blue. 

On the boys raced against the storm 
and when they reached the line fence 
where the heavy forest began they were 
almost out of breath. They climbed the 
fence in silence. But no sooner had the 
hounds entered the woods than a terrific 
baying was heard and the chase was on. 
They were running by sight. Following 
them and yelling came Bobbie and Tom. 
“They are right on him,” said Bobbie. 
“It’s a wolf I know.” Sometimes the chase 


no 


Bobbie’s School Days 


circled and the boys cut across to try to 
catch up. Down through the forest, over 
brush and brambles of every kind raced 
the boys following the din of the wild 
chase. At last not far away they heard 
the battle as the chase ended but ere they 
could reach the dogs the kill had been 
made. Bobbie’s pocket knife was out at 
once and the wolf’s scalp was removed. 
Then the boys discovered two things. 
They were very, very tired and they had 
no idea in what direction lay the school- 
house or home. 

“Well,” said Tom, “what will we do? 
I was never here before and don’t even 
know how to start home. Well, what are 
we going to do, Bobbie?” 

“Well,” said Bobbie, “sure we were 
never here before and we never were out 
alone on a chase before and caught a big 
timber wolf either. We’ll get home some 
way. Let’s go down this branch.” 


ill 


Bob, the Pioneer 

So down the branch they went. After 
walking a mile or more they came to 
where the branch emptied into a large 
creek. “This must be Big Blue,” said Bob¬ 
bie, “so we will have to go right back 
again. We live on the ridge land between 
the Big Blue and Little Blue.” Another 
hour was consumed in trudging back to 
higher ground. The wind had changed to 
the north. The air was getting colder but 
the snowing had ceased. Once in awhile 
the boys stopped to listen to the strange 
sounds but none of them were sounds 
from their home. 

By and by Tom decided he could go 
no farther. “What’s the use?” he said. 
“We don’t know where we are going. 
Let’s sit down and rest.” 

“If we sit down to rest we’ll freeze,” 
said Bobbie. On they went again but ev¬ 
ery time the boys stopped the dogs were 
busy giving first aid to their own wounds 


112 


Bobbie’s School Days 

by licking them. Bobbie became impa¬ 
tient and scolded the hounds. Then a plan 
was thought out by him. “Let’s club these 
dogs and they will go home and then we 
will follow them,” said he. 

“Maybe they won’t go home,” said 

Tom. 

“Yes, they will,” Bobbie replied. 
Then the boys scolded the hounds and 
threw clubs at them. The old hounds thor¬ 
oughly disgusted started straight for 
home. 

After the snowing had ceased the 
moon came out and it was now clear but 
very, very cold. The boys were unable to 
keep up with the hounds but by the moon¬ 
light they were enabled to follow the 
hounds’ tracks in the snow. It had grown 
colder and colder and the night was far 
gone when the two tired boys still follow¬ 
ing the hounds’ tracks in the snow 
dragged their weary feet up to Bobbie’s 


118 


Bob, the Pioneer 

home. A candle was burning and Bobbie’s 
mother was waiting for them. She knew 
the boys had followed the hounds because 
she had heard the beginning of the chase. 
Soon the boys were eating the food saved 
for them and after that they were tucked 
away in a warm bed. 


114 


CHAPTER XII 
The Year op the Big Snow 

When the second school year began 
Bobbie took his sister with him. His par¬ 
ents had told him to take good care of 
little sister. Since Bobbie really wanted 
to care for her and his parents had told 
him to do so, Grace became an object of 
care and responsibility for this sturdy 
little man. Of course Bobbie sometimes 
assumed control over Grace when she re¬ 
sented what she called his “bossiness.” 
Often she said to her mother, “Bobbie is 
just plumb mulish stubborn and I have to 
put up with it.” She also told her mother 
that Bobbie was sometimes rough in help¬ 
ing her over the fence. She said, “He 
jerks me over and then yanks me along.” 
Bobbie would reply, “Grace is so pokey 

115 


Bob, the Pioneer 

slow that we would never get to school if 
I didn’t yank her along sometimes.” 

One day when the children were all 
starting home from school, Sussie Corn, 
a larger girl, slapped Grace. Bobbie 
caught the larger girl’s hair and in his 
own language “yanked her out of it.” So 
forcefully did he yank that Sussie fell 
backwards in the mud. Then Sussie’s 
brother Dick, a larger boy, got into the 
fight and soon Bobbie was underneath the 
larger boy. However, Bobbie was still do¬ 
ing his best. Grace thought that Bobbie 
was being killed and in tears she asked 
the children to take that big boy off her 
brother. Then one of the older boys called 
out, “Hey, Dick, let him up! You are too 
big to fight him anyway.” But Dick yelled 
out, “Well he is still fighting like a wild¬ 
cat and won’t say ’nuf, and—oh! oh! 
ouch!” yelled Dick, for Bobbie had closed 
his teeth on the larger boy’s thumb and 


116 





Elk Caught by the Storm Were Living off the Hay 






























































' 

























































ir b.. 


































































































The Year of the Big Snow 

held on like a bulldog with his teeth while 
with hands and feet he was doing what 
damage he could to the larger boy. In the 
end Dick had to give up by crying “’Nuf, 
’nuf,” thus admitting that he himself was 
conquered. 

When the fight was over it was found 
that Dick’s thumb was bitten to the bone, 
his face was marked, and his clothes torn. 
Bobbie had been rolled in the mud and 
beaten until he was so muddy and bloody 
that he was hardly recognizable. Never¬ 
theless, in the eyes of the boys of the 
school he was from that time on a hero. 
Never again did any of the boys of the 
Woodland School strike him for they said, 
“That little wildcat won’t ever quit.” 

Soon Bobbie and Grace turned out in¬ 
to the woods; the other children taking 
separate paths to their homes and Grace 
said, “Oh Bobbie you look awful. Will 
you ever get well?” 


117 


Bob, the Pioneer 

“Hush up! What were you and Sus- 
sie fussing over anyway?” said Bobbie. 

“I just called her a skunk,” said 
Grace. “I didn’t think she would hit me.” 

“What did you call her that for?” 
said Bobbie. 

“Oh, she has asafetida on her,” said 
Grace. 

“Ya!” said Bobbie, “you women folks 
are always starting trouble.” 

By this time the two children had 
reached a brook and Bobbie washed his 
face. With sticks he and Grace scraped 
some of the mud off his clothes but they 
could not mend the torn garments or con¬ 
ceal the bruises on the boy’s face and so 
when they reached home, explanations 
were in order. Bobbie’s mother explained 
to him the evils of fighting but his father 
never discussed the incident. 

One morning a cold rain began as a 
mist just when the children were starting 


118 



The Year of the Big Snow 

to school but soon it turned to sleet. That 
evening as they were returning home over 
the icy ground, the children were sliding 
here and there and once in awhile running 
and making a skate of it. This was a de¬ 
light to Grace although she frequently 
fell. So fascinated was she by her skating 
that she kept it up after Bobbie told her 
to quit for they were near the bluff. But 
she kept on skating and finally fell over 
the cliff and was hurt. Bobbie carried her 
on his back and slowly trudged on over 
the icy ground but he could not go fast. 
Often he fell but the fall seemed to hurt 
her more than it did him. At last they 
came to the end of the woods and just as 
Bobbie placed Grace on their own line 
fence they heard Ben coming singing as 
usual. Ben had been sent out to see what 
had happened to the children for it was 
getting dark. The slave had rags tied 
over his shoes so that he did not slip on 


119 


Bob, the Pioneer 

the ice. At once he relieved Bobbie of his 
load. At the house, examination revealed 
that the smaller bone in the lower part of 
Grace’s leg was broken. When this was 
announced Bobbie seemed to feel that he 
was to blame for not taking better care of 
his sister. But Grace said to her mother, 
“No, Bobbie told me not to do it. Next 
time I’ll do as he says.” 

“Nobody was to blame,” said Bob¬ 
bie’s father. “Ben, saddle the old black 
horse and I’ll go for a doctor. It may be 
after midnight when we get back here, 
but we’ll come. Keep up the fire, Ben. 
Kate, have some hot coffee and food ready 
for the doctor.” Then he ate hurriedly 
and rode away into the darkness and 
Grace slept. 

While Grace was confined to the bed, 
Bobbie voluntarily became her teacher. 
Every day he paid particular attention to 
the work of the little ones (A, B, C class) 


120 


The Year of the Big Snow 

at school and faithfully tried to teach his 
sister just as the children were taught at 
school. Often he went to sleep while wait¬ 
ing between lessons for Grace to study the 
assignment. Mamma would awaken him 
and urge him to go to bed but the boy 
would say, “No, I’ve got to do this. I ought 
to have made her quit skating.” What 
Bobbie never knew was that Mamma 
was Grace’s teacher in the daytime. They 
did not tell Bobbie because they knew 
he thought it was his duty to teach Grace 
and he would resent any interference. 

By and by there came a day dawning 
when snow was everywhere and Bobbie 
waded waist deep through it to the barn 
lot to milk. When he came back to the 
kitchen with the milk the bucket was on 
his shoulder for he could not hold out 
straight at arm’s length the full bucket. 
It was too heavy. That day was Saturday. 
All day Ben, Bobbie and the master 
121 


Bob, the Pioneer 


worked breaking out paths to the out¬ 
buildings and from the barn to the spring 
so that the stock could go and get a drink. 
On Sunday there was more snow, until 
noon when the sun came out on glittering 
white fields and forests. Fences were hid¬ 
den, forests were still, and only the low 
sighing of the north wind driving the 
white crystals here and there disturbed 
the universal silence. 

No school was held during the period 
of the big snow but Bobbie was busy for 
every morning the paths that had been 
cleaned out the day before were full or 
partly full of snow again. One day late in 
the afternoon when Bobbie was pitching 
hay from the barn loft he looked down 
over the field and saw something moving 
about near the distant hay stacks. He 
called his father and Ben and the three 
soon decided that some elks had been 
caught in the storm and were living off 


122 


The Year of the Big Snow 

of the hay. It was almost sundown then 
and Bobbie’s father decided that in the 
morning they would try to kill an elk. 

Early the next morning the three 
started out. Bobbie and his father each 
had a gun and Ben had a club. Ben started 
first and was to go around the field be¬ 
yond the hay stacks and get between them 
and the woods so that he would attract 
the attention of the elks. Bobbie and his 
father were to sneak up close enough to 
get a shot but that was a slow, gruelling 
trip. Bobbie was in the snow waist deep. 
Sometimes in walking he would come up¬ 
on a depression in the ground and would 
sink in up to his chin, but he held his gun 
out of the snow and struggled on. After 
an hour or more, Ben was seen apparently 
standing on the snow at the proper place 
(he was standing on the fence). Bobbie 
and his father were not yet quite close 
enough to shoot but the elks, seeing Ben, 


123 


Bob, the Pioneer 

dashed out from the hay stacks on the 
farthest side from where Bobbie was, but 
directly toward where Bobbie’s father 
crouched in the deep snow. Soon a shot 
was fired and the elks turned about and 
came toward Bobbie. When the two elks 
came within range Bobbie rose up but at 
that he was only head and shoulders above 
the snow level. The elks saw him and 
turned at right angles. Bobbie took the 
best aim he could at the larger one and 
fired. The recoil of the heavily loaded gun 
threw him back in the snow but he arose 
quickly and stared in surprise for both 
elks were struggling on rapidly. Bobbie 
could hardly believe that he had missed 
an object so large. As he watched the run¬ 
ning elks Ben shouted and the big elk fell 
behind, faltered, stood still and finally lay 
down. No, he had not missed; he had 
killed the bull elk. 

Soon the three hunters stood over the 


124 


The Year of the Big Snow 

fallen monarch. Then Bobbie learned that 
his father had not missed either for there 
was another dead elk on the other side of 
the hay stacks. Back to the house they 
went following the shorter trail—the one 
which Bobbie had broken. Bobbie took the 
guns into the house and told of the kill 
while Ben and his master caught up three 
horses. Bobbie was placed in front on 
Dick, the old black saddle horse, to follow 
the trail back to the hay stacks. Behind 
him came Ben and his father each riding 
a horse on which harness had been placed. 
Tying ropes to the feet of the elks, the two 
harnessed horses ridden by Ben and his 
master dragged the game after them 
through the snow back to the barn lot. 

The elk hides were cured. Mamma 
got the smaller one but Bobbie gave the 
big one to his little sister. The antlers he 
kept for himself. The meat of the elks 
was placed in the smoke house. 


125 


CHAPTER XIII 

Changes as the Years Went by 

Bobbie's legs and arms grew longer 
and stronger, his feet and hands grew 
larger and no one but his mother called 
him Bobbie—he was just plain Bob. 

He was much interested in caring for 
the stock on the farm and often with his 
hounds he chased wolves and other ma¬ 
rauding creatures that sought to prey up¬ 
on the domestic animals. 

There were wild turkeys roaming 
about and Bob soon learned to call and 
bring them in as well as any older woods¬ 
man. Being an excellent shot he supplied 
the family with much wild game such as 
turkeys, squirrels, rabbits, and deer. Oft¬ 
en with his gun he would spend whole 
days in the forest hunting or trapping 
126 


Changes as the Years Went by 

wild creatures but more often he took the 
hounds along for he delighted in the chase. 

At early dawn one morning Bob 
went down into the forest to look for a 
young calf which was not with the other 
cattle as it should have been. Nothing 
was observed to indicate that the calf had 
gone that way but Bob was just ready to 
turn around and go back when he saw a 
strange creature leisurely trotting along 
the valley by the brook. It was evidently 
of the cat family but it was too big for 
a common wildcat and besides it had a 
tassel on either ear and this character¬ 
istic together with its enormous size con¬ 
vinced Bob that it was a lynx. 

As soon as this creature was out of 
sight Bob whirled around and ran to the 
house. With one hand he took a gun from 
the rack over the door and with the other 
the hunting horn and rushing out of doors 
he blew a loud call that brought the 


127 


Bob, the Pioneer 

hounds to him in a hurry. Grace rushed 
out to learn the cause of the excitement 
but all she heard was one word, lynx, as 
Bob and the hounds dashed away. 

As the family, still seated at the 
breakfast table, were discussing the situa¬ 
tion the hounds found the warm trail and 
opened in full cry. Ben wanted to go but 
the master said, “No, Bob didn’t ask for 
help. I guess he wants the fun all to him¬ 
self.” An hour or two passed and then 
Bob appeared with the lynx hide on his 
shoulder and the hounds following at his 
heels. The lynx had run only about half 
a mile, then climbed a tree and Bob 
had shot it. But even when it sprang from 
the tree with a death wound it had fought 
furiously as the slashed hounds bore mute 
testimony. Bobbie also reported that 
while returning from the chase he had 
found the calf dead and half eaten by 
some wild beast. 


128 


Changes as the Years Went by 

One winter there was no school for 
no teacher had been found. It was too 
bad for baby brother, little George, was 
old enough to go and Grace and Bob were 
eager to take him. Bob, by chance, met 
the Osage Indians that fall when they 
came for their annual visit to their old 
hunting grounds and the graves of their 
fathers. Soon Bob was on friendly terms 
with them. He learned some of their lan¬ 
guage and much of the sign language. 
One young Osage, Yellow Hawk, became 
so attached to Bob that he came to the 
house and ate dinner. Yellow Hawk could 
talk English but when he did so Grace 
could not suppress a titter for he said 
“Hoggie pork meat” and “meal flour 
bread” and in many other ways his ex¬ 
pressions amused her. Only that one time 
could Bob induce the Hawk to come to his 
home. 

Late in the winter came an epidemic 


129 


Bob, the Pioneer 


of diphtheria or membraneous croup. The 
country doctor did not understand it or 
was not understood. But whatever it was 
several children in the neighborhood died. 
Bob’s little brother became ill one night. 
His father rode through the night snow 
storm and brought the doctor but in vain 
were the efforts. After two days of suffer¬ 
ing the little one’s life went out. Oh, but 
it was lonesome through the long, snowy 
days and solemn nights waiting for 
springtime to come! 

In February there came a general 
thawing out with fog, mud, and warm¬ 
er days. Then Grace was out of doors 
much of the time until she took a severe 
cold and Mamma made her stay indoors 
and try some home remedies. But Grace’s 
cold grew rapidly worse. When the doctor 
came he called it pneumonia. Then there 
was general anxiety and this ended the 
worst way within the week. Grace’s new- 


130 




Changes as the Years Went by 

made grave and little brother’s were out 
in the cold, rain, and sleet. Mother sighed 
and cried nearly every moment and Dad 
was so silent. Even Ben’s singing was 
not heard often and then only when far 
away from his master’s house. 

One year a lady teacher was em¬ 
ployed to teach the Woodland School but 
when the time for the opening of school 
arrived Bob did not want to go. His moth¬ 
er urged him but he said, “I don’t want to 
go to a woman teacher and besides Grace 
and little George are not here for me to 
take care of and I’m not going.” 

That evening while Bob was out fin¬ 
ishing the work about the barn the mother 
said, “Jack, Bobbie has refused to go to 
school.” 

“Why did he refuse?” asked the fath¬ 
er. When he had heard all Bob had said, 
he replied, “Now, Mother, just let him 
alone for he too has suffered perhaps more 


131 


Bob, the Pioneer 


than we know. Time may heal his heart 
wounds. God only knows. Let him alone.” 

At breakfast on the Monday that 
school opened, Bob’s father asked him if 
he wanted to go to school and when the 
boy said, “No,” his father said, “All right. 
You may help us clear up the woods north 
of the house this winter.” 

Day by day rang the axes of the three 
pioneers and Bob grew more rugged and 
powerful as he approached his sixteenth 
birthday which would be in March. 


132 





The Buffalo Stampede 






























































r .. 













































CHAPTER XIV 
On the Santa Fe Trail 

Many young men in the vicinity of 
Bob’s home were being employed to drive 
teams across the plains, and Bob wanted 
to go too. Finally his father consented. 
Bob’s mother objected at first but when 
the father suggested that the trip might 
lighten the boy’s grief she said, “Oh, all 
right. If anything would help us I know 
we should do it.” Later she said to her son, 
“Go with God, Bobbie.” 

Bob secured employment readily at 
man’s wages from one of the many com¬ 
panies engaged in hauling freight over 
the western trail. Bull Warner was the 
wagon boss to whom Bob was directed to 
report. Bull’s train consisted of ten teams 
of six yokes of oxen each. These ten teams 
133 


Bob, the Pioneer 

were hitched to ten big prairie schooners 
that were heavily loaded with freight for 
the far West. 

Bull placed older, seasoned drivers in 
the front. Bob and the other new recruits 
were near the middle and other seasoned 
drivers in the rear of the train. These 
bull-whackers, for so these teamsters 
were called, were men from all walks and 
stations of life with perhaps only one 
thing in common—love of adventure. 

The train started with the cracking 
of bull whips and the mingled rough 
voices of men frequently punctuated with 
oaths as the oxen laboriously drew the 
ponderous wagons forward. The train 
started from Independence early in the 
morning and passed Bob’s home about; 
two o’clock in the afternoon. Bob was sur¬ 
prised in passing to see his mother and 
father, Ben, Kate, and little Dink all 
standing by the roadside to see his train 


134 


On the Santa Fe Tr ait. 

go by. He left the side of his ox team, 
toiling on the road, and rushed over to tell 
his mother goodbye. In his hurry and 
confusion he lifted his little mother from 
the ground to plant the parting kiss and 
then more gently lowered her to the earth, 
waved to Dad and was soon a part of the 
caravan westward bound. 

That night the camp was made just 
beyond the town of Westport. A night 
guard of two men was placed to ride herd 
on the grazing cattle, a guard of two men 
was detailed to stay at the camp and all 
the others were released. 

Soon Bull Warner was seated by the 
campfire and as the men who were not 
assigned to duty began preparing to go 
into town, he called Bob to him and said, 
“Son, your Dad talked to me about you 
and I promised to look after you. That’s 
a rough bunch going to town. You may 
go if you want to, but watch yourself and 


135 


Bob, the Pioneer 

don’t let them get your hide full of red 
licker.” 

“All right,” said Bob as he buckled 
on his Colt’s revolver which he had not 
worn after entering camp. Soon he joined 
the group. He was going to see the sights 
with men—he-men. 

That was a wild night, indeed, but 
Bob kept sober in spite of the urging of 
the others. About midnight as the men 
were preparing to return to camp one of 
the crowd said that Bob must drink and 
attempted to compel the youth to take a 
drink from his bottle. But Bob knocked 
the bottle away and when the man struck 
at him he received a surprise for the 
youth knocked him down three successive 
times. In fact, Bob seemed capable of 
continuing the performance indefinitely 
and with either fist, but the drunken man 
drew his revolver. Then so quickly that 
all were again surprised, Bob grabbed the 


136 


On the Santa Fe Trail 

man’s gun with one hand and turned the 
shot aside while with the other hand he 
brought his own Colt’s revolver down on 
the man’s head with such force that Red 
Rown, the bully of the train, remained 
unconscious until he was carried to camp 
and laid at Bull Warner’s feet with full 
explanation. Bull was silent until Red sat 
up and began to swear. Then the boss 
gave him such a reprimand as Red had 
never received. Turning to Bob, Bull said, 
“Son, you did exactly what I would have 
wished a boy of mine to do.” This affair 
established Bob’s reputation in that outfit 
for all time. 

The next day Red was unable to drive 
his team which was driven by one of the 
extra men of the outfit, but by night Red 
walked up to Bob and said, “Kid, I guess 
I was drunk last night but you are a man 
and you taught me a lesson. I lost my 
front teeth and got a good crack on the 


137 


Bob, the Pioneer 

head but, Kid, if you’ll shake I’m with 
you.” Bob shook hands and, in accordance 
with the code of the trail, the incident was 
closed. 

There followed days and nights with 
the long, long trail leading on over seas 
of green. One morning about nine o’clock 
the scout on the right of the train came 
dashing in signaling to the bull-whackers 
to corral the stock because a buffalo stam¬ 
pede was coming. Quickly the ponderous 
wagons were formed in a circle with the 
cattle and horses inside and all the men 
on the north side of the group fully armed. 
Bull Warner with a buffalo gun ready as 
the first of a sea of frightened buffaloes 
came, shot one of the leaders at about 
thirty paces from the corral and all the 
other rifles spoke for each man had been 
instructed to put a bullet into the animal 
Bull selected so that there could be no er¬ 
ror for the buffalo must be dead. The dead 


138 


On the Santa Fe Trail 

buffalo lying there split the herd and for 
hours the grim plainsmen watched the 
mass of animals swerve right and left of 
the corralled train. How many were there 
in that herd? They were numberless. 
Where were they going? What started 
them? Who knows? But when they were 
gone the frightened oxen were hitched to 
the wagons again and by night the train 
was beyond the trampled grass and the 
oxen grazed as peacefully on fresh, green 
grass as if no thundering herd had ever 
threatened their lives. At evening the 
freighters feasted on buffalo hump, a spe¬ 
cial steak cut from the hump of the buf¬ 
falo. 

At sun-up, westward rolled the long 
train. Bob walking by his team urged 
them on; now he prodded old Buck, the 
leader, then cracked his whip on lazy Jer¬ 
ry. All day long he was busy in seeing 
that every ox did his part. Other similar 


139 


Bob, the Pioneer 


days and nights followed. The men took 
turns at night herding under the stars 
while the restless winds of the great 
plains swept onward into the limitless 
waste lands. Over the plains day by day 
the train crept on and at last came to 
Santa Fe—the journey’s end. 


140 


CHAPTER XV 
Indians 

Along the Santa Fe Trail number¬ 
less herds of antelopes and buffaloes 
grazed—the “cattle” of the plains In¬ 
dians. From these herds the Indians pro¬ 
cured their meat, the principal supply of 
food for them, and also skins for tepees, 
bedding and clothing. In short, these 
herds furnished the red men their three 
essentials—food, shelter, and clothing. 

To the Indians the supply seemed 
limitless until the white men with “fire 
sticks” came to the plains and began the 
slaughter of the herds. Then there arose 
a spirit of resentment among the Indians. 
They resented the coming of these white 
men, and they often stampeded or stole 
the animals of the white men’s trains. 


141 


Bob, the Pioneer 

Sometimes by starting buffalo stampedes 
they would destroy a whole train—ani¬ 
mals and men; or, once in awhile they 
fought with the plainsmen and these 
were bloody battles. Usually, however, 
the Indians were friendly. Often they 
visited with the freighters and sometimes 
a small band of them would accompany 
a train for a day or two along the trail. 

Bob knew something of the sign 
language and Bull taught him many 
words and phrases of the Pawnee, Ute 
and other dialects of the Indian tribes of 
the plains region. 

When the train returned to Inde¬ 
pendence in the fall Bob was engaged for 
the next year and told that he would be 
chief mounted scout if he wished and thus 
it was arranged even before Bob returned 
to his father's home. 

With the plainsmen in the camps Bob 
had learned many songs and sang them 


142 


Indians 


in deep full tones, much to Ben’s delight. 
Ben looked up to Bob’s great height and 
admired his young master’s strength. He 
also listened wide-eyed to the recounting 
of Bob’s adventures in the far West. 

One day when Bob and his mother 
were alone she said, “Bobbie, I was glad 
to get the letter you sent to me by the 
other train when you were on the way to 
Santa Fe but I’ve worried about it. Were 
you discouraged?” 

“No, mam. Why?” said Bob. 

“Well,” she said, “you closed it with 
a peculiar expression at least. Here it is.” 

Bob read it and laughed for the clos¬ 
ing was as follows: “Give my love to the 
dogs. Your son, Bob.” 

“Why Mamma,” said he, “it was 
just my way of remembering old Drum, 
Lead, and Blue. I did miss them some but 
not as much as I missed you all.” 

Soon the Osages were reported to be 


143 


Bob, the Pioneer 


in the vicinity and Bob went at once to 
find the Hawk. Finally he persuaded the 
young Indian to agree to go with him on 
the Santa Fe Trail the next year. Old 
Bull, the wagon boss, agreed that the 
Hawk could accompany the train but said 
the Indian’s- pay would depend on the 
services rendered. This was entirely sat¬ 
isfactory to the Hawk and the agreement 
was accordingly made. 

Back over the trail rolled old Bull’s 
train the next spring and on one side of 
the train rode the Hawk as scout. In 
front rode Bob as chief of the scouts, 
while another scout rode on the other side 
and still another one trailed on far be¬ 
hind. Old Bull knew that the plains In¬ 
dians were hostile and he feared trouble; 
hence, he would take no chances. 

There was one man with this train 
who soon proved to be a real problem. He 
was a titled Englishman who wanted to 


144 


Indians 


see America. He was not employed by the 
freighters but went along as a sight-seer. 
At first, this tourist insisted upon being 
with the Hawk who seemed to dislike the 
man. Bob told the Hawk to be patient but 
he also told the Englishman that he must 
not annoy the young Indian. Finally the 
wagon boss ordered the Englishman not 
to ride on the side of the train where 
the Hawk was scouting. Bull said, “Man, 
I know redskin nature and I tell you not 
to bother that Osage. He don’t like your 
ways. No sir.” 

The Englishman was riding a mag¬ 
nificent thoroughbred, black stallion. He 
was not satisfied to desist when he had 
told all the good points of his own mount 
but he ridiculed the mounts of the other 
men. Naturally these men did not enjoy 
this and it was also just as natural that 
they should be ready to put this English- 


145 


Bob, the Pioneer 

man to ridicule should there be a chance 
to do so. 

One evening just at dusk there 
passed near the camp a mother skunk 
and her four kittens going by in single 
file and seemingly without fear of the 
men. When the Englishman asked about 
them he was told they were prairie kit¬ 
tens and very gentle. At once he went to 
get one. He would send it to his sister in 
New York. But skunks are not without 
defense as the stranger learned. 

After that the Englishman, knowing 
that the men were not fond of him and 
were ready to play practical jokes to his 
disadvantage, avoided them and began to 
ride far afield each day and also to talk 
with roaming bands of Indians that be¬ 
gan at this time to visit the train fre¬ 
quently. The wagon boss told the English¬ 
man to avoid leaving the train as he and 
all his men believed these small bands of 

146 


Indians 


Indians were only forerunners of real In¬ 
dian trouble. But even the next day the 
Englishman stayed behind the wagons 
talking to three Indians who admired the 
Englishman’s horse and were offering to 
trade for it. The Englishman did not re¬ 
turn to the train again and so at mid¬ 
afternoon Bull made camp and sent Bob 
and the Hawk back to find the English¬ 
man. He was so much annoyed by the de¬ 
lay that he said whenever he met a re¬ 
turning wagon train the Englishman 
must go back. He would not be delayed 
by the stubborn tenderfoot again. 

The Englishman’s body was found 
lying on the prairie. His scalp was gone. 
The Indians evidently had secured the 
coveted saddle stallion. Although the 
Hawk had not been fond of the English¬ 
man he felt that the signal for battle had 
been given by these Comanches and was 
anxious to lead the scouts or even to go 


147 


Bob, the Pioneer 

alone to trail the offenders down and in 
his language “lift their hair.” Finally Bob 
persuaded him to remain with the train 
but the Hawk felt that his outfit had re¬ 
ceived an insult and ought to exact the 
death penalty, or if need be, go down in 
battle rather than have their honor tar¬ 
nished. For days the Hawk was morose 
and silent. Not even Bob whom he called 
brother could draw his mind away from 
what he called their shame. 

Old Bull cautioned his outfit to keep 
quiet for said he, “The Hawk will get 
over it but we may need his keen vision 
sometime and if we do have to fight that 
Osage will be a demon and don’t you for¬ 
get it.” 

If the Hawk was dissatisfied he was 
nevertheless alert and he talked to each 
roving band of Indians that came near 
the train. No one knew all he said to them 


148 



The Attack Came Swiftly 


































■ :, -V 

' : * 

r .... , > 

*v=. 






























4 



































Indians 


but they did not linger about the train 
after the Englishman’s death. 

Slowly moved the caravan day by 
day. There were roving restless Indians 
seen now and then but no trouble came. 
Bob and the Hawk brought plenty of an¬ 
telope and buffalo meat to camp. 

It was the Hawk who taught these 
hunters the trick of enticing antelopes to 
come near and be shot. The trick was very 
simple in itself. When antelopes were seen 
a reasonable distance away the Hawk 
rode as if to pass them by, dismounted, 
and started his pony back toward camp. 
Then placing a red handkerchief or some 
other gaudy object on a stick, usually the 
ramrod from his rifle, which he stuck in 
the ground he would lie down in the grass 
thus concealing himself from the ante¬ 
lopes. So great was the curiosity of these 
animals that they would be irresistibly 
drawn to inspect the strange thing wav- 


149 


Bob, the Pioneer 

ing above the grass. Hesitatingly, they 
would come forward to gaze, stopping 
again and again. When they came within 
proper range the hunter picked out the 
one he wanted and shot it. The same trick 
could be worked on the same herd many, 
many times. 

Finally Santa Fe was reached with 
cattle and men in fine condition. Old 
Bulks apprehension of trouble with red 
men had seemingly been needless. 

A long stay, occasioned by some mis¬ 
understandings about delivery and collec¬ 
tions for the freight, was made in Santa 
Fe. For that reason the last train to leave 
Santa Fe that year was Bulks. 

Grazing for the cattle was not so 
good from the start. The hot winds, the 
early frosts and the grazing of the oxen 
of many passing trains had reduced the 
forage along the trail to the minimum. 
As the caravan proceeded the procuring 


150 


Indians 


of proper feed for the cattle was more and 
more difficult. Here and there were evi¬ 
dences of battles with hostile Indians; the 
charred remains of wagons that had been 
burned by the Sons of Ishmael; bones of 
cattle and horses killed in battle and in 
many instances human bones among 
them. These silent reminders of tragedy 
made the trail more dreary than usual. 

Few Indians were seen along the 
trail and those that were encountered 
were not as friendly as usual. One night 
when Bob and the Hawk were standing 
watch, the latter silently appeared at 
Bob’s side and in the sign language told 
his friend that hostile Indians were in 
the vicinity. Then noiselessly they went 
into camp and notified the boss. The men 
were awakened with as little noise as 
possible. The cattle were quietly driven 
inside the corral and the plainsmen un¬ 
der arms waited for further report from 


151 


Bob, the Pioneer 


the scouts. By and by Bob and the Hawk 
returned to camp and said that an at¬ 
tacking party was being formed. The 
men were placed under strict orders to 
await in silence the coming attack and 
thus they waited until far past midnight. 
During this delay Bob asked the Hawk 
how he could identify the leader of the 
attacking party and the Hawk suggested 
that he should seek out the warrior on 
the best mount. Bob made up his mind 
that since they were so hopelessly out¬ 
numbered he would seek to shoot the 
leader in the hope that this would break 
the morale of the wild plainsmen. 

About three o’clock in the morning 
the attack came swiftly. The fierce war 
cries of the attacking Indians, as the 
warriors rode in a circle around the cor¬ 
ralled trainsmen and gradually came 
closer and closer, the rattle of fire arms 
and rumble of horses’ hoofs all con- 


152 



Indians 


tributed to the hideousness. When the at¬ 
tack was well under way the plainsmen 
were startled by hearing an Indian war 
cry in their midst. Looking up they were 
surprised to see the Hawk as he stood 
on top of a prairie schooner and sounded 
the panther cry of his own clan. This 
device had its effect. Immediately the 
encircling warriors closed in and in¬ 
creased their yelling and shooting. They 
were met by a volley from the rifles of 
the freighters. The cordon of mounted 
warriors drew closer and closer. Bob had 
left the interior of the corral and was 
lying under one of the wagons waiting 
for his mark and finally deciding which 
was the leader, carefully aimed and fired. 
Then he heard the receding of the In¬ 
dians and noted that they were carrying 
the dead with them. It was at this time 
that the Hawk broke from the corral on 
his mount, raised his bloodcurdling war 


153 


Bob, the Pioneer 


cry and followed the receding savages. 

When daylight came the Hawk re¬ 
turned to camp driving a dozen or more 
Indian ponies ahead of him. Attached to 
his belt were the scalps of half a score 
of his red enemies. Old Bull was right. 
The Hawk was a demon in a fight. The 
plainsmen after roll call found that 
they had no men killed but several 
wounded. Bob who got an arrow through 
his arm and the Hawk who had only one 
wound, not serious, were able to ride. 
No one tried to make the Hawk release 
the Indian ponies although all thought 
it dangerous to keep them. But they 
were the Hawk's trophies and all the 
men knew he would not release them. 

Slowly the caravan rolled eastward. 
Each day the cattle became more ex¬ 
hausted from lack of proper food. Snow 
covered the plains and the storm gods 
seemed to rule over the waste lands. One 

154 


Indians 


day at the noon meal a scout dashed in 
announcing that horsemen in great num¬ 
bers were coming and the boss ordered 
a corral made. But the Hawk said, “They 
are white men.” 

“How can you tell?” said old Bull. 

“I know,” said the Hawk. 

Believing that the Hawk did know 
the boss delayed formation of the corral 
and soon it was plain to all that they 
were not hostile Indians but a company 
of cavalry that had been sent out from 
Fort Leavenworth. Soon the cavalrymen 
and plainsmen were camped together 
and the soldiers accompanied the train 
toward Fort Leavenworth. 

After the soldiers came the Hawk 
requested to be relieved. To his “brother” 
Bob he said, “I don’t like this life. I 
want to be free. Only in war do Indians 
obey a master. I’m going to my people. 
It is not far from here. With these ponies 


155 


Bob, the Pioneer 

and these scalps I can please the Osages. 
I can also take a squaw and, Bob, I’ve 
decided which one it will be. My brother, 
I go but until death we are friends.” 
Bob took him to the wagon boss and old 
Bull released the Indian. 

That night with his herd of ponies 
and three hundred dollars in money that 
the boss paid him the Hawk told Bob 
goodbye and disappeared in the direction 
of the Osage Indian Reservation. 


156 


CHAPTER XVI 
Cimarron Crossing 

Out on the great plains along the 
Santa Fe Trail many unusual incidents 
occurred that were not soon to be for¬ 
gotten. Many scenes and incidents in 
Bob’s life on the Trail he never forgot. 
For instance, soon after he became 
wagon boss there was a frozen river to 
be crossed and without any hesitancy 
Bob took the lead in cutting the ice 
away and then waded the cold water to 
lead the frightened animals and to en¬ 
courage the more timid ones among the 
bull-whackers. But, of course, Bob never 
forgot that river crossing, the “cold 
bath” or the unpleasant sensation of 
wearing wet, frozen clothing that he ex¬ 
perienced when he came up out of the 
157 


Bob, the Pioneer 

river into the near-zero winds that were 
howling across the wide, waste lands. 

At another time, red savage war¬ 
riors dashed out from behind a desolate 
mound as the unsuspecting freighters 
were plodding by and a bloody fight fol¬ 
lowed. Of course, he could never forget 
that place and always in passing Bob 
turned aside and stood for a moment by 
two low mounds where two of his com¬ 
rades lie even to this day. Surely he 
never forgot that scene either. At still 
another time a funnel shaped black 
storm roared across the long row of 
wagons and teams that were slowly mov¬ 
ing on the trail and almost instantly 
wreckage, injured animals and men were 
lying on the plains in the storm's wake. 
This was not readily forgotten either. 
At another desolate place on the plains 
Bob and his men once found plainsmen 
camped without food or water, and near- 


158 


Cimarron Crossing 

ly dead from thirst. They had been at¬ 
tacked by Indians and all their stock and 
supplies taken. Two of the men were 
wounded. Near by were seven graves 
where they had buried their comrades. 
This place was never forgotten either. 

But of all the places along the Trail 
that remained vivid in Bob’s memory 
the Cimarron Crossing seemed to stand 
out with the greatest distinctness. If 
you will look at the map of Oklahoma, 
you will see that from the northwest por¬ 
tion of that state there projects a strip 
of country westward. That strip of coun¬ 
try is bounded on the north by Colorado, 
on the south by Texas, and it extends 
westward to New Mexico. When this 
strip of country was added to the Chero¬ 
kee Indians’ lands it was called the 
Cherokee Outlet. It was intended to be 
an outlet through which the Cherokee 
Indians might enter the buffalo hunting 


159 


Bob, the Pioneer 


grounds. At the present time, this strip 
of country is divided into three counties: 
Beaver County on the East, Texas Coun¬ 
ty in the middle, and Cimarron County 
on the extreme west. This county was so 
named because the headwaters of the 
Cimarron River are located here. 

Across this Cherokee Outlet, or 
Cimarron Country as it was called, ran 
the Santa Fe Trail. The crossing of the 
Cimarron River in this land was a 
dreary, dreaded place. Many freighters 
had bad luck here; sometimes it was 
flood waters, sometimes it was quicksand, 
but more often it was Indians that 
caused the trouble. 

Freight trains were often attacked 
here. Sometimes the men would all be 
killed and the animals and supplies 
taken by the Indians. The wagons would 
be burned but what Indians did it one 


160 


Cimarron Crossing 

could not know for many tribes passed 
that way. 

One day as Bob's train approached 
the Cimarron Crossing a scout returned 
to report that another freight train was 
at the crossing and evidently in trouble 
as they were not at the regular crossing. 
x4fter going forward again the scout re¬ 
turned to report that these freighters 
had encountered quicksand at the old 
ford and after rescuing the animals the 
plainsmen had been compelled to cut away 
a steep high bank in order to get down 
to the river and make another crossing. 
At this time they had just crossed the 
Cimarron River at the new ford. 

When Bob's train arrived he was 
delighted to find that the wagon boss of 
the other train was old Bull Warner. At 
once old Bull took Bob to one side and 
said, “I am expecting trouble, Bob. Here 
is a young one that rode in just a little 


161 


Bob, the Pioneer 

while ago on an Indian pony which was 
almost dead from over-riding. He says 
that he is a white boy and has been a 
captive among the Comanche Indians. 
He also says that the Indians will pursue 
him and kill him unless we protect him. 
I am mighty glad you are here because 
it will probably take all of our forces to 
stand off this bunch of Comanche In¬ 
dians.” 

The boy said his name was Joe and 
he remembered that he had once lived in 
a big town and that his father had traded 
with the Indians. He said he had gone 
with his parents to the salt works near 
Grand River and there had been trouble. 
He did not know where his mother and 
father were but suspected they had been 
killed by someone. For many years he 
had lived with the Indians as the son of 
an old squaw called Prairie Rose. 

While the two men were engaged in 


162 


Cimarron Crossing 


this conversation mysteriously and silent¬ 
ly two plainsmen appeared. They had evi¬ 
dently avoided being seen by the scouts or 
the men until they were within speaking 
distance. Raising their hands in the peace 
sign they rode forward and then the elder 
one spoke, “Well, howdy, Bull! Howdy, 
Bob! How are you? This youngster with 
me is Kit Carson. He is my friend. May¬ 
be you boys know him. I picked him up 
at Fort Bend. We are just going scout¬ 
ing down in the Indian country and I 
asked the youngster to go along with me. 
Indians are a good deal uneasy in this 
territory now on account of the govern¬ 
ment’s intention to bring in another big 
bunch of Cherokees from Georgia.* You 
boys better keep a sharp lookout because 
there seems to be trouble in the air in 

♦Georgia—Enforced removal of the Cherokee In¬ 
dians from Georgia was in 1838. 


163 



Bob, the Pioneer 


several directions.” The speaker was none 
other than Jim Bridger. 

Camp was made. The guard was 
doubled and peace had seemingly settled 
down upon the camp when one of the look¬ 
outs announced Indians coming from the 
east. Soon a band of Indians rode up 
within hailing distance and requested a 
conference. The two wagon bosses, Bull 
and Bob, walked out to confer with the 
Indians but since neither of the white men 
spoke Comanche very well, and none of 
the Indians could talk English, the inter¬ 
view was not entirely satisfactory. But 
by the use of sign language the situation 
was fairly understood. 

The Indians said that the boy had 
run away from their camp and that they 
had trailed him up the Cimarron River 
for three days. Finally, Bob offered to 
give the Indians three sacks of sugar if 
they would leave the boy with the plains- 


164 



Jim Bridges Leads the Parley 















































Cimarron Crossing 

men. This offer was refused and the 
white men returned to camp to get 
Bridger to act as spokesman for them if 
he would do so. 

When they presented the matter to 
Bridger he said he could talk Comanche 
fairly well and he also said he would act 
as spokesman, provided that while he was 
doing the talking he was really to be in 
command and the plainsmen should not 
do anything except as he directed until 
the interview was over. To this they all 
agreed and the four men, Jim Bridger, 
Kit Carson, old Bull, and Bob, left their 
rifles in camp but wearing their side arms 
went forth and met a group of the Indians 
for a general conference. 

“You know me?” inquired Jim 
Bridger. 

“Yes, we know the great scout. We 
know he is honest and just. We came for 
our boy who ran away. The great scout 


165 


Bob, the Pioneer 

will tell the bull-whackers to give us the 
boy.” 

Then Bridger said, “This is a white 
boy. Where did you get him?” 

The Indians said they had found 
him when he was a very small boy. He 
was concealed in a hollow stump after a 
battle which they did not see. 

“How do you know it was a battle?” 

“There were dead bodies,” said the 
Indians. 

“Where was this?” Bridger said. 

The Indians said it was over by the 
great salt works near the Grand River. 
Suddenly Bridger turned to the chief and 
said, “Where is the man that is this boy’s 
foster father? Bring him here!” Then an 
old Indian stepped forward. “Can you lie 
to the Great Spirit and make Him believe 
it?” said Bridger. 

“No,” said the Indian. 


166 


Cimarron Crossing 

“Can you lie to me and make me be¬ 
lieve it?” asked Bridger. 

“No,” said the Indian. 

“Then tell me how you got this boy,” 
said the scout. 

“They have told,” said the Indian. 

“You lie!” shouted Bridger. “Tell 
the truth!” But the Indian was silent. 
Turning to the chief, Bridger said, “You 
know I don’t like a crooked tongue. This 
young warrior, Bob, has offered you three 
sacks of sugar for the boy. This boy now 
knows that he is not an Indian. He will 
never be any good to you. Take the sugar 
and leave the boy.” 

“No,” said the chief. “We came for 
the boy. Many warriors are coming up 
the Cimarron River. We want the boy. 
We must have him.” 

“Be careful. These young men are 
warriors. They have much sugar which 
tastes good but they also have much hot 


167 


Bob, the Pioneer 

lead which is not so pleasant in the stom¬ 
ach/' said Bridger. 

“No,” said the chief. 

Then the four men turned to go to 
their own encampment. They had not 
gone more than one-half the distance 
when from behind a thick clump of trees 
and bushes there came a flight of arrows. 
One of them pierced the muscle of Bob's 
leg below the knee and instantly the men 
turned ready to shoot but before they 
could fire Bridger called, “Hold it! Don't 
fire. You agreed to obey me. Walk on to 
camp as if nothing had happened. I'm 
going back." 

And back he went. For a long time 
he was in earnest conversation with the 
chief. He never told what the conversa¬ 
tion was about but when he returned to 
camp he said, “Boys, get ready, it is to be 
a fight." 

It is not known who made the sug- 


168 


Cimarron Crossing 


gestion but soon a number of men secured 
the black axle grease from the hubs of the 
wagons’ wheels and with this drew on the 
canvass of each of the covered wagons in 
large letters, “U. S.” This sign it was 
thought the Indians would respect. All 
the men, all cattle and all horses were in¬ 
side a large circle made by the wagons. 
Ammunition was out, guns were ready 
and everybody knew the battle might be¬ 
gin at any moment. 

Bob, himself, was anxious for the 
battle. It was hard to restrain himself 
after he had received an insulting wound 
and had not been able to strike back be¬ 
cause of his word to Bridger. Still Bridger 
said, “Do not get in a hurry, boys. We 
are pretty well fixed here. Wait.” 

No one could understand why the 
Indians did not begin battle unless they 
knew what the U. S. meant and feared the 
soldiers or preferred to wait until it was 


169 


Bob, the Pioneer 

dark before they began. Just as daylight 
began to fade a band of Indians was seen 
coming from the south. Outside of gun¬ 
shot range they halted, made the peace 
sign and when it was answered one of 
them advanced. Bridger said, “Boys, 
those are not Comanches. They are Osages 
and I know they are not friendly with 
the Comanche.” Then Bob recognized the 
leader and called out, “Come on in, 
Hawk!” 

The Hawk was mounted upon a mag¬ 
nificent black stallion. At once Jim 
Bridger said, “Kit, do you see it. What 
a horse!” 

“I never saw his equal,” said Kit 
Carson. 

Bob was standing by the Hawk talk¬ 
ing. The two scouts soon called Bob, and 
Kit said, “Bob, where did that Osage get 
that horse?” 

“It is a trophy of revenge,” said Bob. 


170 


Cimarron Crossing 

Then he told Kit and Jim of the English 
nobleman’s death by the hand of Co¬ 
manche Indians and the Hawk’s revenge. 
“The Hawk just got the stallion a few 
days ago and he has several fresh Co¬ 
manche scalps on his belt,” added Bob. 

“Let him bring in his warriors,” said 
Jim Bridger. “We need them.” 

Bob called the Hawk to join them. 
Then the Hawk came forward and after 
a talk ordered his warriors to ride inside 
the enclosure and told them to remain 
there. Then to Bob and Bull he said, “My 
warriors have many guns and I would 
like to have a try at those Comanches.” 
But in spite of all urging by the young- 
men the old scout, Bridger, said, ‘ Not 
yet.” 

When darkness came on no one ex¬ 
cept a scout now and then was allowed to 
leave the inner circle and everyone was 
told to keep awake and ready. Soon after 
171 


Bob, the Pioneer 


midnight the Hawk returned from scout¬ 
ing to say that the Comanches had left. 
They had gone down the Cimarron Valley. 
Then calling his own warriors together 
he made ready to follow them. At last, 
going to Bob, he said, “Brother, now is 
your chance to come with me and avenge 
that wound. I know you want to go.” Al¬ 
though Bob did want to go he had to re¬ 
fuse as he had the responsibility of his 
men and of the freight train entrusted to 
his charge. This he explained to the Hawk 
who said, “That is too bad.” 

But old Jim Bridger said, “Not so 
bad either, Bob, when you consider that 
your keeping a hold of yourself saved 
your life and all this outfit. If you had 
fired when you were wounded all of us 
would have been killed. In Indian trouble 
always try to save your hair and if you 
do you are lucky, that’s all.” 

And so once again the Hawk parted 


172 


Cimarron Crossing 

from his friends, this time following a 
band of Comanche Indians for whom he 
had no love. But he promised not to at¬ 
tack the Comanches if they went straight 
home. However, the freighters felt sure 
that the Comanches would not come again 
to try to get the runaway boy, because if 
they tried to do so they would most cer¬ 
tainly face the Hawk’s warriors. The boy, 
Joe, stayed with the freighters. 

At dawn Bridger and Carson rode 
down the valley of the Cimarron and the 
freight wagons rolled on westward to¬ 
ward Santa Fe. After the freighters re¬ 
turned from Santa Fe inquiries were 
made and finally the boy, Joe, was sent 
to St. Louis where his mother was. 


173 


CHAPTER XVII 

Bob's Last Trip Across the Plains 

It would be a long, long story to tell 
all of the incidents in Bob's life on the 
Santa Fe Trail for again and again he 
crossed and recrossed the great American 
desert; met the Indians, both in peace and 
in war; crossed the limitless prairies 
through storms and sunshine but always 
“carried on." 

It was an afternoon of autumn sun¬ 
shine and quiet about the public square 
in the little town of Independence when 
it was learned that an overland freight 
train was approaching. This news seemed 
to electrify the tradesmen who began to 
display their wares and to arrange for 
securing a portion of income from these 


174 


Bob’s Last Trip Across the Plains 

teamsters who usually spent their money 
as soon as they were released and paid. 

In this Missouri town there were, as 
in other towns, churches, choir leaders 
and singers. It so chanced that the choir 
leader of the Cumberland Presbyterian 
Church was seated on the veranda of the 
old Southern Hotel overlooking the main 
street of the town along which the over¬ 
land train would soon pass, and by chance 
also three of the girls of his choir were 
passing at this particular time. The lead¬ 
er called down to the street and invited 
the girls to come up and see the freighters 
pass by. Two of these girls had often seen 
freight trains, but Nellie, who had but 
recently come to Independence with her 
family, was anxious to see these plains¬ 
men. The other girls agreed, and the 
three girls and their choir leader were 
seated on this elevated veranda when 
down the street lumbered the dusty, pon- 


175 


Bob, the Pioneer 


derous, prairie schooner with the usual 
noise of rumbling wagons, cracking whips 
and rough men’s voices. 

Nellie thought she had never seen 
such a wild, romantic group of men and 
she began in her own quick way to ques¬ 
tion Mr. Rader, the choir leader. “What 
kind of a countryman is that one, Brother 
Rader?” said she. 

“Oh, he’s an Indian. I don’t know 
what kind. You see he is dressed partly 
as a civilian and not in full tribal cos¬ 
tume,” replied he. 

“This one quick, Brother Rader? He 
is racing his horse down there at the end 
of the line. He has cute little bells on his 
big hat.” 

“He’s a.Mexican sent to turn the 
train down by Majors and Russell’s head¬ 
quarters. They are the owners you know,” 
answered the patient man. 

“But look here, Brother Rader. 


176 


Bob’s Last Trip Across the Plains 

Right under us on that horse. There! No, 
not that man but the big fellow in buck¬ 
skin with the black beard. He has two re¬ 
volvers and a bowie knife in his belt. 
What kind of a countryman is he?” in¬ 
quired the girl. 

“Hush, you little goose. He might 
hear you. That’s Bob Wright, the wagon 
boss.” 

“But is he an Indian or what?” asked 

she. 

“Oh, Nellie, are you dumb? No, he’s 
a white man and said to be the best wagon 
boss that follows the Santa Fe Trail.” 

But Nellie continued in her excite¬ 
ment to ask questions and to comment on 
the wild creatures who were at the time 
“passing in review.” Perhaps she did re¬ 
member many of the answers given to her 
by the choir leader but she forgot the 
name of the wagon boss as later events 
showed. Even when the caravan with its 


177 


Bob, the Pioneer 


dust and noise was beyond her sight she 
could not forget what she described as the 
“scarey” appearance of the whole collec¬ 
tion, animals and men, composing the 
overland freight train. 

The next Sunday morning Nellie and 
the other girls sang in the Cumberland 
Presbyterian Church choir as usual. 
Whether the other girls looked about over 
the congregation is not of record but cer¬ 
tainly Nellie’s particular attention was 
drawn to one stalwart young man neatly 
barbered and tailored who came in ac¬ 
companying a rugged man, evidently his 
father, and a little gray-haired woman 
who must have been his mother. 

This particular young man was Bob 
and the change of appearance was due to 
a change from buckskin to broadcloth and 
the assistance of a barber. He had not 
noticed Nellie especially or had not re¬ 
membered having seen her at the South- 


178 


Bob’s Last Trip Across the Plains 

ern Hotel, but he did notice her that morn¬ 
ing. Whether he got all the minister said 
or not is not of record either, but imme¬ 
diately after the services he learned from 
his mother the name of the little singer 
and as the crowd lingered in the church¬ 
yard, Nellie was presented to him by one 
of her girl friends of the choir. 

Readily this stalwart young man and 
the pretty singer formed a friendship that 
rapidly grew into the age-old story ever 
told and retold when man and maiden 
have loved. 

Finally, after these two were en¬ 
gaged to be married, Bob told his father 
that after one more trip to complete his 
contract with Majors and Russell he 
would marry Nellie. His father said, 
“Well, I’ll build a house for you and deed 
you half the land for it will all be yours 
some day anyhow.” 

“No, Dad,” said Bob. “I have saved 
179 


Bob, the Pioneer 


enough gold money to buy the quarter 
section (160 acres) of land just west of 
us and stock it up. Mother has the money 
hidden for me. She has always kept it.” 

“Good,” said his father. “I knew she 
kept your gold but I did not know it was 
so much.” But at that, he really told the 
truth for although he himself had given 
the mother gold coins to add to Bob’s fund 
he did not think that fund was so large. 

Bob bought the land. All through 
the fall and winter he cleared fields and 
built fences with one group of men while 
with another smaller group he built barns 
and other out-buildings. Last of all he be¬ 
gan to build a house for himself and his 
future partner. This task was not com¬ 
pleted when the time came for him to go 
back over the trail and so he left the fin¬ 
ishing and furnishing of the house to his 
parents. 

Nellie had not remembered the name, 


180 


Bob’s Last Trip Across the Plains 

Robert Wright, and she had never sus¬ 
pected (no one thought to tell her) that 
her handsome young giant was the big, 
rough, black-bearded, wild man at the 
sight of whom she had shuddered when 
he was in buckskin. Yes, she knew who 
he was, Robert Wright, a son of Deacon 
Wright, a prosperous farmer who had 
lands and slaves and a sweet little lady 
wife. 

It would be hard to describe Nellie’s 
feelings when she at length heard that 
Bob was said to be none other than the 
big man who commanded the freight 
train. Shaking her pretty head, stamping 
her tiny foot, and frowning she said, “I 
don’t believe it! Bob is a gentleman, so 
kind and tender. I’m going to ask him.” 

Ask him she did and he assured her 
that he was the same person. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she 
pouted. 


181 


Bob, the Pioneer 


“Well,” said Bob, “I don’t know. You 
never asked me, honey, and I was so busy 
finding out all about you that I didn’t 
think. Does that make any difference?” 

Nellie seemed for once to deliberate 
before speaking and then giving Bob her 
hand she said, “No, I guess not. But sure¬ 
ly you are never going to look like that 
again, are you?” 

Laughingly, Bob said, “I don’t know 
how I looked but we do become somewhat 
weatherbeaten when on the trail for six 
months. However, I shall make only one 
more trip over the Santa Fe Trail and 
then I’ll go with you to the end of the 
long, long trail.” 

Nellie pleaded against Bob’s going 
but to no avail. Bob had agreed to go and 
according to the only code he knew he 
must go. Failing to persuade Bob to aban¬ 
don the trip, Nellie breathed her wish to 
the Highest Court in her daily prayers. 


182 


Bob’s Last Trip Across the Plains 

But Bob went and when he was gone he 
knew that not only his mother’s prayers 
but Nellie’s were ever being offered for 
his safe return. 

Once on the trail Bob lovingly re¬ 
membered the prayers of these two Chris¬ 
tian women, but in controlling reckless 
bull-whackers and the wild Indians there 
is little doubt that Bob relied somewhat 
upon his hard fists, his two revolvers, his 
rifle, and his brain power to keep the trail 
open and the train moving. 

When returning from Santa Fe Bob 
came for the last time to the Cimarron 
Crossing, and he again remembered the 
treachery of the Comanches who wounded 
him from ambush and somehow he almost 
wished he could have a chance at those 
same Comanche Indians, but no Indians 
were to be seen. Camp was made in quie¬ 
tude and seeming security. 

That night, however, he doubled the 


Bob, the Pioneer 


guard—he himself stayed awake. At fre¬ 
quent intervals he passed about the camp 
in silence except when he talked quietly 
to the men who were herding the cattle. 
At dead of night for no obvious reason he 
directed the watchers to urge the cattle 
quietly toward camp whenever they 
seemed to be about through grazing. He 
explained that he wanted all the cattle 
bedded down inside the corral before mid¬ 
night. 

When the major portion of the cattle 
were inside the circle of wagons and the 
others were grazing leisurely toward the 
opening, loud popping (Indians riding in 
the open could use blankets to make a 
popping noise not unlike a sound of huge 
guns) and shrill Comanche yells burst 
forth on the stillness as a band of wild 
red men rode furiously in to stampede the 
cattle. But for once the Indians did not 
succeed and several of them, either dead 


184 


Bob’s Last Trip Across the Plains 

or wounded, were carried away by their 
companions. One freighter was wounded 
but knowing that he had shot from his 
horse the Indian who had wounded him, 
he seemed contented. 

When the men finally gathered in¬ 
side the circle and the Indians were gone 
for the present at least, Bob said, “Well 
boys, I’m not going to cross the Cimarron 
again for this is my last trip as a freight¬ 
er on the Santa Fe Trail; but if I ever 
come here again I hope I’ll have plenty of 
good marksmen with me and that we can 
have a daylight try at these treacherous 
Comanches. I’ve never been able to settle 
with them for shooting me from ambush.” 

Then he detailed a triple guard and 
all hands waited for the dawn which soon 
came revealing only waste lands. 

Day by day Bob’s last trail trip drew 
nearer to its close. At last he brought his 


185 


Bob, the Pioneer 

overland train into his home town—the 
end of his last trip on the Santa Fe Trail. 

Once again, Nellie watched, but this 
time she peeped through a window. Real¬ 
ly, Bob again was black bearded and 
seemed to radiate power and authority 
but Nellie did not shudder for to her he 
was only big, kind Bob—her partner. 

Again changed from buckskin to 
broadcloth and neatly tailored and bar- 
bered Bob went to the church. Nellie was 
not in the choir but with Bob at the altar 
where the minister pronounced Bob and 
Nellie man and wife. 

How they drove for a few miles on 
the old Santa Fe Trail and then turned 
aside through a woodland to their new 
home is not a part of this story. This is 
the story of Bob and that is the story of 
Nellie and Bob for the twain were one. 

THE END 

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